Large-scale ecological restoration (ER) programmes have been implemented in China to combat climate change and ecosystem degradation. However, there has been controversy regarding how ER affects terrestrial water storage (TWS). Researchers use the solutions provided by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to analyze TWS changes and the impact of ER on TWS. However, other human-induced disturbances are usually ignored, such as human-induced mass changes interfering with GRACE observations, and the impact of agricultural water consumption on TWS. Here, we focus on the Mu Us Sandyland, a model for environmental governance in China and globally, accurately quantifying the impact of ER and other anthropogenic disturbances on TWS in this area. We estimate that ER has consumed TWS at a maximum average rate of 7.46 ± 2.07 mm yr⁻¹ in the study area. ER results in a significant decrease in TWS in 68.68% of the regional area (P < 0.05). Areas with high TWS consumption are concentrated in the southeastern part of the Mu Us Sandyland, which is an ER hotspot. Moreover, ignoring the impact of coal mining and agricultural activities on TWS will lead to an overestimation of the negative impact of ER on TWS by 45.53%. Our study proposes a method to accurately quantify the impact of ER and highlights the importance of other human activities having non-negligible effects on TWS.
 

陆地水储量；气候变化；人类活动