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Groundwater decline is global but not universal

Measurements of groundwater levels in 170,000 wells reveal the global extent of groundwater decline. But the data also show that such depletion is not inevitable in a changing climate, providing hope for a resilient water future.
  1. Donald John MacAllister

    1. Donald John MacAllister is in the British Geological Survey, Edinburgh EH14 4AP, UK.

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Groundwater is crucial for water and food security because it acts as a climate buffer, sustaining communities and ecosystems that are vulnerable to changes in water availability as a result of climate change. Groundwater is therefore likely to become more important as these changes accelerate1. However, humans are affecting its availability, both indirectly through changes in rainfall, driven by anthropogenic climate change, and directly, through overuse2. An estimated 70% of all groundwater is used for irrigation3, a practice that has rapidly increased in the past 40 years3,4, leading to serious concerns about depletion5,6. Satellite observations7 and models5 have been used to study changes in groundwater storage, but these approaches have inherent limitations8,9. Writing in Nature, Jasechko et al.10 report direct measurements of groundwater levels around the world — a timely and welcome contribution to our understanding of the state of groundwater resources globally.

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Nature 625, 668-670 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00070-3

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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