Basin-scale water-balance dataset (BSWB): An update

Abstract

This paper presents an update of a basin-scale diagnostic dataset of monthly variations in terrestrial water storage for large river basins worldwide (BSWB v2016, doi:10.5905/ethz-1007-82). Terrestrial water storage comprises all forms of water storage on land surfaces, and its seasonal and inter-annual variations are mostly determined by soil moisture, groundwater, snow cover, and surface water. The dataset presented is derived using a combined atmospheric and terrestrial water-balance approach with conventional streamflow measurements and reanalysis data of atmospheric moisture flux convergence. It extends a previous, existing version of the dataset (Mueller et al., 2011) temporally and spatially.