36 From Data to Decision: Integrating Geophysics, Data Systems, and Modeling for Aquifer Characterization in Data-Sparse Regions

Advances in data acquisition, management, and analytics are transforming water-resources research in semi-arid, data-sparse regions. This session highlights the integration of geophysics, data systems, and modeling, including AEM, legacy data digitization, and cloud platforms. Contributions demonstrate how advances in data collection, management, analysis, and modeling  approaches improve the characterization of fresh and brackish groundwater to support management, recharge, and long-term planning.

Wednesday, 20 May 2026
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alvarado F

The Application of GRACE-Enhanced Groundwater Storage Data in New Mexico Basins

Paper number: 36-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:40 AM – 11:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

Several New Mexico basins are experiencing groundwater decline, yet existing monitoring networks are spatially sparse and insufficient to fully characterize basin-scale groundwater storage (GWS) change. This study evaluates the application of GRACE-enhanced land surface modeling to assess GWS variability and its long-term trends in the Estancia Groundwater Basin, New Mexico. Groundwater storage anomalies derived from the GLDAS-2.2 Catchment Land Surface Model (CLSM – F2.5; GLDAS_CLM025_DA1_D) and JPL GRACE RL06.3 v04 mascon product from NASA were compared. These datasets were evaluated alongside climate variables, including precipitation and the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) from PRISM and NOAA weather data; modeled groundwater withdrawal estimates from the USGS; and, in-situ groundwater-level observations obtained through the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) Data Integration Engine.

GLDAS 2.2 GWS anomalies display broad groundwater storage decline across the basin over the past two decades. Climate variables exhibit strong correlation with short-term GWS variability, with wetter periods reflect partial storage recovery, and drought conditions coincide with GWS decline. The GLDAS 2.2 GWS time series modulates with an approximate one-month lag to climate drivers. However, because GLDAS 2.2 doesn’t not explicitly represent groundwater abstraction or pumping, it underestimates storage decline relative to GRACE-derived estimates. The downward trend closely corresponds with estimates of groundwater depletion for beneficial use, suggesting that GRACE captures abstraction signals not represented in the land surface model. Climatic variables, including precipitation and the PHDI, primarily explain intra-annual variability, whereas prolonged groundwater pumping appears to influence the long-term trend of GWS decline in the Estancia Basin.

Comparison with well-based storage change estimates shows positive correlation with GRACE-enhanced modeled outputs, supporting the validity of GRACE-based assessments at the basin scale despite aquifer heterogeneity and scale mismatches. The workflow provides a rapid, first-order assessment of basin-scale groundwater storage change and offers a scalable approach to groundwater monitoring and decision support.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 4

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026RM-410532

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