Abstract: The large-scale change of the amount of water storage over the Yangtze River basin is obtained by using monthly gravity field data, derived from GRACE satellite data between April of 2002 and December of 2010 with Gaussian filter. The temporal and spatial variations of water storage over the Yangtze River basin are compared to the data from GLDAS (Global Land Data Assimilation System) model. The results indicate that: (1) The two sets of data, derived from GRACE satellite and GLDAS model, show the same trend of change in the majority of the areas with high level of consistency; the correlation coefficient is 0.89 (P<0.05). (2) The amount of water storage over the Yangtze River Basin from 2002 to 2010 has an increasing trend. The average annual growth rate is 0.43cm/month, equivalent to 95.04×10⁹ m³/a, with an average annual growth rate of 0.53 cm/month (67.13×10⁹ m³/a) in the upstream area, 0.51cm/month (25.73×10⁹ m³/a) in the midstream area, and 0.36 cm/month (9.14×10⁹ m³/a) in the downstream area. The increasing amount of water storage over the Yangtze River Basin during the time period of nearly nine years is estimated to be 855.33×10⁹ m³/a. Judging from the spatial distribution of average annual water storage over the Yangtze River Basin, there is a shortage in January, February, March, and December, and a surplus in July, August, and September, with a clear transition from shortage to surplus in April, May and June from downstream to upstream, and a transition from surplus to shortage in October and November from upstream to downstream. The maximum increase rate of water storage over the whole basin, in the upstream and midstream areas is in September, with 1.01 cm/a, 1.37 cm/a, and 1.05 cm/a, respectively, whereas in the downstream area the maximum increase rate is in July, with 1.62 cm/a.

Key words: GLDAS, GRACE, temporal and spatial variations, the Yangtze river basin, water storage