Underground Water Is Being Deleted at an Alarming Rate

The New York Times has revealed that the U.S. is using up its precious groundwater resources at an alarming rate. This is a serious issue because groundwater is essential for drinking water and agriculture. The investigation found that:

- Water levels in aquifers across the country are dropping rapidly. The situation is more severe and widespread than most people think.

- Nearly half of the wells analyzed by the Times showed a significant decline in water levels since 1980. Many wells reached record lows in the last decade, and 2020 was the worst year ever.

- Over pumping threatens the U.S.'s role as a food powerhouse.

- Groundwater extraction enabled the U.S. to become a major producer and exporter of crops like corn, soybean, sorghum and cotton. But this is unsustainable as groundwater depletion puts this status at risk.

- It's not just a problem for the West or for farmers. It's also a drinking water crisis.

- Aquifers are shrinking not only in dry regions, but also in places like Arkansas, which grows half of the nation's rice, and Maryland, where most wells have seen water levels drop since 1980, some by more than 100 feet.

- Weak regulations allowed the overuse. Now, climate change is making it worse.

- The Times found that lax state rules, lack of federal oversight and no comprehensive national data have enabled farms, cities, and businesses to drain aquifers without limits. Climate change is exacerbating the problem by increasing water demand and reducing rainfall.

Conclusion:

Rising temperatures often means reduced snowpack, which in turn means less water flowing through rivers — pushing farmers and cities to lean more heavily on groundwater. But those same rising temperatures also mean plants and lawns require more water.

The result could be called a climate trap that threatens to deprive huge areas of the United States of groundwater supplies. The aquifers will only become more important as surface water becomes harder to get. ?

Summary:

The study reveals how climate change is depleting groundwater resources in the US, as higher temperatures increase the demand for water and reduce the supply from snowmelt.

The researchers compiled a large database of groundwater measurements from various sources to track the changes in aquifer levels over time. The findings suggest that many regions are facing a climate trap that could threaten their water security.

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