A Machine Learning approach for Total Water storage anomaly eXtension back to 1980 (ML-TWiX)
Year: 2026
Type: data-paper
Abstract: global grid. While the GRACE and GRACE Follow-On satellite missions have provided valuable observations of global TWSA, their combined record spans just over two decades, limiting their utility for long-term climate and hydrological studies. ML-TWiX extends the GRACE-era record into the pre-GRACE period by learning from global hydrological and land surface model simulations using an ensemble of three machine learning models: Random Forest, XGBoost, and Gaussian Process Regression. The three machine learning models were independently used to reconstruct TWSA, and their outputs were subsequently combined through ensemble averaging to produce a unified product with spatially explicit uncertainty estimates. We validated ML-TWiX against multiple independent datasets, including satellite laser ranging, storage deduced from the water mass balance closure, and global mean sea level budget estimates. It provides a continuous reconstruction of global TWSA, enabling a wide range of applications in hydrology, climate science, and water resource assessment.
Source: Scientific Data
Language: English
Subfield: Oceanography
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,490
OpenAlex ID: W7126036977