ESCWA Publication: E/ESCWA/CL1.CCS/2025/TP.2
Country: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Publication Type: Information material
Cluster: Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability
Focus Area: Climate change, Natural resource sustainability
Initiatives: Improved Water Security in Arab States, Climate Resilience through Regional Cooperation, AWARENET
SDGs: Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 13: Climate Action
Keywords: Aquifers, Case studies, Climate, Data analysis, Dead sea, Geology, Groundwater, Hydrogeology, Jordan, Land use, Satellites, Territories occupied by israel, Water balance, Water level, Water quality, Water storage, Wells
Use of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission to monitor groundwater storage in the Eastern Aquifer Basin and the Dead Sea Basin
July 2025
The Arab region is among the most water-scarce regions in the world, with more than 90 per cent of its population living in water-scarce conditions. Groundwater constitutes the primary source of water in more than half of the Arab States. The reliance on groundwater is growing as surface water becomes increasingly scarce in the face of climate change impacts and rising demand. In this context, understanding the change in groundwater storage is crucial for informed decision-making, long-term planning and sustainable groundwater management.
In order to better support Arab States in the sustainable management of groundwater using innovative technologies, ESCWA has developed a training manual using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission data to monitor changes in groundwater storage and organized capacity development workshops for national teams based on demand. National teams from the Palestinian Water Authority and from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan, with the support of ESCWA and its consultants, completed the case studies described in this report: the Eastern Aquifer Basin in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Dead Sea Basin in Jordan. The case studies provide water stakeholders with knowledge and practical applications of the GRACE mission and the water table fluctuation method to estimate recharge from remote sensing data, which is beneficial in data-scarce regions.
Related content
Climate change, Natural resource sustainability
The Arab region is among the most water-scarce regions in the world, with more than 90 per cent of its population living in water-scarce conditions. Groundwater constitutes the primary source of water in more than half of the Arab States. The reliance on groundwater is growing as surface water becomes increasingly scarce in the face of climate change impacts and rising demand. In this context, understanding the change in groundwater storage is crucial for informed decision-making, long-term planning and sustainable groundwater management.
In order to better support Arab States in the sustainable management of groundwater using innovative technologies, ESCWA has developed a training manual using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission data to monitor changes in groundwater storage and organized capacity development workshops for national teams based on demand. National teams from the Palestinian Water Authority and from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan, with the support of ESCWA and its consultants, completed the case studies described in this report: the Eastern Aquifer Basin in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Dead Sea Basin in Jordan. The case studies provide water stakeholders with knowledge and practical applications of the GRACE mission and the water table fluctuation method to estimate recharge from remote sensing data, which is beneficial in data-scarce regions.
