{"id":555,"date":"2026-04-06T15:25:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/groundwater-disappearing-faster-than-expected-global-study-reveals-hydrological-shift-since-2014\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T15:25:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:25:08","slug":"groundwater-disappearing-faster-than-expected-global-study-reveals-hydrological-shift-since-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/groundwater-disappearing-faster-than-expected-global-study-reveals-hydrological-shift-since-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Groundwater Disappearing Faster Than Expected: Global Study Reveals Hydrological Shift Since 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A silent transformation is crossing the continents. Climate warming, droughts, and massive groundwater pumping are driving down freshwater reserves. Satellites show that this hydrological imbalance is now accelerating on a planetary scale, worrying for the security of the planet\u2019s water resources.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Satellites Reveal a Rapid, Global Decline in Continental Freshwater Reserves<\/h2>\n<p>Since the early 2000s, scientists have observed a decline in freshwater reserves across the continents. Rivers, soils, and glaciers are affected. Groundwater too. Thus, many indicators reveal a hydrological imbalance that is gradually taking hold.<\/p>\n<section class=\"incontent-related\"><span class=\"incontent-related__title\">Read also<\/span> <span class=\"incontent-related__desc\">This clay water jar buried in the garden halves your water use during warmer days<\/span><\/section>\n<p>These results come from two decades of satellite measurements. The GRACE and GRACE-FO missions track the variations in Earth\u2019s water mass. With these data, researchers detect losses of terrestrial water with precision. Consequently, the drying of many regions is now clearly visible.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Whole Regions Enter Megadrought Phase With Planetary Consequences<\/h2>\n<p>Analyses show that several areas around the globe are now experiencing a structural drought. First in North America. But also in parts of Eurasia. Finally, the phenomenon affects the Middle East and North Africa, where water resources steadily dwindle.<\/p>\n<p>In these territories, the expansion of <strong>arid zones<\/strong> is accelerating. Each year, vast areas become drier. Consequently, agricultural and ecological balances shift. Farmlands and forests must adapt to scarcer water.<\/p>\n<section class=\"incontent-related\"><span class=\"incontent-related__title\">Read also<\/span> <span class=\"incontent-related__desc\">Rare Earths: France builds its first recycling plant to counter China\u2019s monopoly<\/span><\/section>\n<p>In parallel, cities also feel this water pressure. Access to drinking water becomes more precarious. Moreover, <strong>agricultural irrigation<\/strong> depends heavily on local reserves. Thus, water management becomes a strategic issue for many densely populated regions.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Groundwater Aquifers Become the Main Source of Global Freshwater Loss<\/h2>\n<p>A large portion of this disappearance stems from <strong>groundwater aquifers<\/strong>. These underground reservoirs formed over thousands of years. Yet they are today pumped at high speeds. Intensive agriculture and urban demand explain much of this exploitation.<\/p>\n<p>According to researchers, about <strong>68% of terrestrial freshwater loss<\/strong> observed since 2002 comes from underground withdrawals. This finding appears in a study published in the scientific journal <strong>Science Advances<\/strong>. Thus, the importance of aquifers in the global water crisis becomes evident.<\/p>\n<section class=\"incontent-related\"><span class=\"incontent-related__title\">Read also<\/span> <span class=\"incontent-related__desc\">Geothermal: this treasure buried under our feet could cover 15% of the world\u2019s electricity demand by 2050<\/span><\/section>\n<p>When this water is pumped, it often leaves the local cycle. It evaporates or returns to the oceans. Consequently, it does not quickly recharge the aquifers. This phenomenon also contributes to rising sea levels.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Climate Turning Point Around 2014 Accelerates Droughts and Alters the Water Cycle<\/h2>\n<p>Researchers identified a major shift around the years 2014 and 2015. At that time, a powerful climate event occurred: the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon. It altered precipitation patterns and worsened several droughts.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the situation has evolved rapidly. The <strong>Northern Hemisphere<\/strong> has lost more continental water. And this region houses a large portion of the world\u2019s population. Many agricultural regions are also located in this hemisphere.<\/p>\n<section class=\"incontent-related\"><span class=\"incontent-related__title\">Read also<\/span> <span class=\"incontent-related__desc\">Invisible but decisive, the surface of the oceans would absorb more CO\u2082 than expected and forces climate models to be revised<\/span><\/section>\n<p>In light of these signals, scientists are calling for action. We must better manage <strong>freshwater<\/strong>. For example, artificial recharge of aquifers can help. Moreover, agriculture must curb certain withdrawals. Finally, international cooperation becomes essential to preserve water resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[751,506,752,688,750,753,229,754,228],"class_list":["post-555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-disappearing","tag-expected","tag-faster","tag-global","tag-groundwater","tag-hydrological","tag-reveals","tag-shift","tag-study","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":557,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions\/557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}