Castro et al. (2026) Geodetic Assessment of Drought Intensity and Hydrological Dynamics in the Cantareira System, Southeastern Brazil

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-15
• Authors: Henry Montecino Castro, Yellinson de Moura Almeida, Felipe Orellana, Maria Marsella, Peppe D'aranno, Aharon Cuevas
• DOI: 10.3390/rs18183170

Research Groups

• University of São Paulo (USP)
• Federal University of ABC (UFABC)

Short Summary

This study combines multi-sensor geodetic observations to investigate the propagation of hydrological drought into large-scale terrestrial water storage deficits and surface deformation in the Cantareira Water Supply System, Brazil. The research reveals a strong coupling between GRACE-derived TWSA and GPS-derived vertical displacement.

Objective

• Investigate the relationship between hydrological drought, terrestrial water storage anomalies, and surface deformation in complex, human-managed hydrological systems.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP), Brazil, focusing on the Cantareira Water Supply System.
• Temporal Scale: January 2020 to December 2025.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) decomposition, cross-correlation analysis.
• Data sources:
  • Continuous GPS observations
  • Sentinel-1 InSAR time series
  • GRACE/GRACE-FO terrestrial water storage anomalies (TWSAs)
  • Groundwater level records
  • Reservoir storage data
  • Meteorological drought indicators

Main Results

• Strong and statistically significant coupling between GRACE-TWSA and GPS-derived vertical displacement (r=−0.8 in Upper Tietê basin, r=−0.6 in PCJ basin).
• Correlation between reservoir storage in the PCJ basin and regional TWSA (up to r=0.7 for the Jaguari–Jacareí reservoir).
• Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) decomposition reveals distinct spatial responses between the PCJ basin and Upper Tietê basin.

Contributions

This study provides a robust approach for monitoring water storage changes and supporting water resource management in densely populated regions by combining GPS, InSAR, and GRACE observations to quantitatively link climatic drought forcing, terrestrial water storage deficits, and surface deformation.

Funding

• This research was funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) under grant number 2020/05014-9.

Citation

@article{Castro2026Geodetic,
  author = {Castro, Henry Montecino and Almeida, Yellinson de Moura and Orellana, Felipe and Marsella, Maria and D'aranno, Peppe and Cuevas, Aharon},
  title = {Geodetic Assessment of Drought Intensity and Hydrological Dynamics in the Cantareira System, Southeastern Brazil},
  journal = {Remote Sensing},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/rs18183170},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18183170}
}