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Irrigated crop production

Groundwater depletion reduces drought resiliency

Pioneering empirical assessment shows decreases in aquifer thickness diminish the capacity of groundwater supplies to buffer agricultural production from drought.

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Fig. 1: Percent change in aquifer thickness from predevelopment to present in the High Plains Aquifer in Kansas.

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Correspondence to James J. Butler Jr.

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Butler, J.J., Whittemore, D.O. Groundwater depletion reduces drought resiliency. Nat Water 2, 10–11 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00185-3

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