Scientists sound alarm over worsening crisis that will impact all of humanity: 'Glimpse of what the future is going to be'

In the 1970s, many were worried about running out of oil. Today, people should be more concerned about running out of water.

A new study warns that Earth's supply of freshwater is rapidly vanishing from our warming world.

What's happening?

Since 2002, the planet has seen what a press release from Arizona State University calls an "unprecedented" loss of freshwater. Led by ASU researchers, a new study of two decades' worth of satellite data has identified four "mega-drying" regions in the Northern Hemisphere, with freshwater lost to extreme heat, extended droughts, and significant draws on groundwater supplies.

Groundwater sources have been tapped by agricultural producers, municipalities, and corporations, according to ProPublica's coverage of the study. With surface waters drying up, aquifers are increasingly tapped for purposes such as farming.

Unfortunately, runoff from such activities ends up in rivers and streams, ultimately flowing into oceans and mixing with saltwater rather than replenishing pools underground.

The data is drawn from 22 years of observations from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (aka "GRACE") satellites. Lead author Hrishikesh Chandanpurkar told ProPublica that the study, published in July in Science Advances, "provides a glimpse of what the future is going to be."

He also noted that as groundwater is being extracted from aquifers, no one knows exactly how much is left in them. 

Why is depleting groundwater concerning?

As climate scientist Peter Gleick told the news outlet, "The massive overpumping of groundwater poses enormous risk to food production."

Meanwhile, three-quarters of the global population lives in the 101 countries identified in the study as suffering from 20 years of profound freshwater loss, according to the release, with the potential for devastating impacts to ecosystems, agriculture, human health, and social stability.

Food supplies in several countries have already been affected by drought. Rivers drying up in Zimbabwe have caused child malnutrition to double and cattle to die. When water levels dropped to extreme lows in the Amazon basin, fish die-offs contaminated drinking water sources. 

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What's being done to address groundwater use?

Experts are calling for effective policies to outline and enforce sustainable groundwater management practices. Study co-author James Famiglietti noted such practices could also help to mitigate sea-level rise, with freshwater runoff driving increases.

"We can address continental drying by implementing new policies around regional and international groundwater sustainability," Famiglietti said, per the release. In turn, this will slow the rate of sea-level rise and help preserve water for future generations."

ProPublica identified possible strategies, such as drip irrigation, with which Israel has cut freshwater use by 50%. Also known as "trickle irrigation," this system slowly and evenly delivers water directly to a plant's roots, reducing runoff and evaporation loss.

The outlet also noted that Lake Mead, a key reservoir in the United States, notably refilled when agricultural producers reduced their water withdrawals from the Colorado River a couple of years ago. The progress was made in part through concerted efforts, including farm conservation projects and temporary land-fallowing. The timing of heavy storms also helped. Now, scientists warn, the lake is projected to hit another new low by 2027.

Past results at Lake Mead show that individuals and communities can come together to make a difference. Even simple acts — like taking shorter showers and preventing the faucet from running needlessly — really can help.

But to establish the groundwater use policies that experts say we need, scientists, stakeholders, and officials will need to work together and prioritize freshwater and especially groundwater as the essential resources they are.

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