Combination GRACE and TRMM Estimate of Water Storage Capacity and Flood Potential in Afghanistan

Terrestrial water storage anomaly from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and precipitation observations from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM) are combined and applied to assess regional flood potential in Afghanistan. The results show that this is a useful remote-sensing method to improve estimates of terrestrial water storage capacity and flood potential. The improved monthly storage deficit variable obtained from the terrestrial water storage anomaly from GRACE was used to assess the terrestrial water storage capacity. A flood potential index model was established by combining it with TRMM. The results were compared with those from National Climate Center of China (NCCC), showing that the experimental flood potential index for Afghanistan was consistent with the NCCC data and accurate from the perspective of time and space. The proposed combination method using GRACE and TRMM, can effectively estimate the flood potential in Afghanistan, and provides a useful new tool for regional flood warnings.