| | |
Summary: Eos, Vol. 91, No. 49, 7 December 2010
A map of global groundwater depletion
Burgeoning populations are increasing
demand for water resources around
the globe. In some regions where there
is frequent water stress, groundwater
is often used as a source of water
to supplement surface water. When
groundwater extraction consistently
exceeds groundwater recharge through
precipitation for large areas, groundwater
becomes depleted. Wada et al. used
a hydrological model to assess global
groundwater recharge. They then
subtracted estimated groundwater
extraction from groundwater recharge
rates to provide a global overview of
groundwater depletion. The researchers
found that total global groundwater
depletion has increased from 126 cubic
|
