Vanishing Freshwater: How Climate Change Is Draining the World's Water Supply

A recent study has uncovered a concerning trend: the world's freshwater resources are rapidly dwindling due to the impacts of climate change. The research, published in the journal Science Advances, found that overpumping of groundwater, worsening droughts, and higher temperatures have caused a drastic decline in available freshwater across the globe.

This "continental drying" has now surpassed the melting of ice sheets as the biggest contributor to global sea level rise. Researchers warn that the loss of land-based water could have profound implications for access to safe drinking water and the ability to grow food in some of the world's most productive agricultural regions.

The study analyzed changes in terrestrial water storage over the past 22 years using data from a suite of NASA satellites. They found that drought-ridden regions have been rapidly expanding, with an area twice the size of California becoming drier each year since 2014. In fact, every large land mass, except for Greenland and Antarctica, has experienced unprecedented drying since 2002.

These alarming trends "send perhaps the direst message on the impact of climate change to date," according to the researchers. They caution that three-quarters of the world's population lives in countries where freshwater resources are being depleted, and rising seas threaten to make coastal regions less habitable. The consequences of this global water crisis could intensify in the coming years if groundwater depletion and drought conditions worsen.