The mass of ice on continents has changed over time, with great ice sheets growing and shrinking along with climate changes. These changes are known to drive changes in sea level as well as deformations of the solid earth that result in ground uplift and subsidence.
Climate changes, as well as human activities, can also induce changes in the mass of water stored in groundwater reservoirs on continents. Such mass changes should also drive changes in sea level, and should also induce ground uplift and subsidence. However, the expected patterns of groundwater-induced deformations are poorly understood.
This project will use numerical models of Earth deformation to estimate how changes in groundwater storage in continental aquifers (e.g., caused by changes in climate) may have deflected Earth’s land surface and sea level.
