The authors found that groundwater levels declined between 2000 and 2022 in 71% of the 1,693 aquifer systems included in the research, with groundwater levels declining more than 0.1 meter a year in 36%, or 617, of them. Declines not universalThe study also highlighted some success stories in Bangkok, Arizona and New Mexico, where groundwater has begun to recover after interventions to better regulate water use or redirect water to replenish depleted aquifers. They found that declines in groundwater levels sped up in the first two decades of the 21st century for 30% of those aquifers, outpacing the declines recorded between 1980 and 2000. “I think it’s fair to say this global compilation of groundwater data hasn’t been done, certainly on this scale, at least to my knowledge before,” he said. “Groundwater is an incredibly important resource but one of the challenges is… because we can’t see it, it’s out of mind for most people.

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Persons: ”, Debra Perrone, Scott Jasechko, Jasechko, ” Jasechko, Donald John MacAllister Organizations: CNN, University of California’s, Environmental, Bren School of Environmental Science, Management, University of California Santa, British Geological Survey Locations: India, United States, Soplamo, Spain, University of California Santa Barbara, Iran, Africa, South America, Asia, Bangkok , Arizona, New Mexico