Accumulation and Dissipation of Water Associated with Flooding in the Missouri River Basin

Increased water storage in the Missouri River basin as inferred from GRACE gravity [Reager et al. 2014] preceded the May–June 2011 catastrophic floods. In this study, we analyze the evolution and lateral distribution of water components in the four years before and two years after the 2011 floods (believed to occur once every 500 years). We integrate GPS measurements of solid Earth's elastic response to water change and GRACE gravity data to infer change in total water storage as a function of time in the Missouri River basin. We furthermore evaluate relative water storage and discharge in 6 major sub-basins as measured by gauging stations along the Kansas, Platte, Yellowstone, and Missouri Rivers. We aim to understand how water changes between different components (snow, soil moisture, groundwater, surface water) and how the spatial distribution of water changes in the Missouri River basin.