Menu Close

Articles on Groundwater

Displaying 1 - 20 of 92 articles

Water from the Mackenzie River, seen from a satellite, carries silt and nutrients from land to the Arctic Ocean. Jesse Allen/NASA Earth Observatory

Arctic rivers face big changes with a warming climate, permafrost thaw and an accelerating water cycle − the effects will have global consequences

A new study shows how thawing permafrost and intensifying storms will change how water moves into and through Arctic rivers.
Circular irrigation for growing hay and alfalfa near Corcoran, Calif. − a water-intensive system that relies on groundwater pumping. George Rose/Getty Images

Humans are depleting groundwater worldwide, but there are ways to replenish it

Rapid and accelerating groundwater level declines are widespread in dry climates where groundwater is used for irrigation. But some communities have found ways to turn things around.
Palestinians fill drinking water containers at a distribution site in Khan Yunis, south Gaza, on Oct. 8, 2023. Mohammed Talatene/picture alliance via Getty Images

Collaborative water management can be a building block for peace between Israelis and Palestinians

As the war between Hamas and Israel grinds forward, two experts explain how Israelis and Palestinians have cooperated to tackle their region’s water challenges.
In 2022, California built an emergency drought barrier across the West False River near Oakley to protect against saltwater intrusion. AP Photo/Terry Chea

What is seawater intrusion? A hydrogeologist explains the shifting balance between fresh and salt water at the coast

Saltwater intrusion is bad for human health, ecosystems, crops and infrastructure. Here’s how seawater can move inland, and why climate change is making this phenomenon more frequent and severe.
Shutterstock

It’s not just climate – we’ve already breached most of the Earth’s limits. A safer, fairer future means treading lightly

We’ve blown past the safe and just limit for vital Earth systems, from climate change to the biosphere and the use of fertilisers and freshwater. For humans to thrive means living in safe limits
Heavy rain from a series of atmospheric rivers flooded large parts of California from late December 2022 into early January 2023. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

How California could save up its rain to ease future droughts — instead of watching epic atmospheric river rainfall drain into the Pacific

Urban infrastructure was designed to take stormwater out to the ocean quickly. Now, California needs that precious water.
Hundreds of freshwater basins across the world, including the dried-up Santa Olalla permanent freshwater lagoon, in Spain’s Doñana National Park, are the most likely to experience social and ecological impacts due to freshwater use. (Donana Biological Station/CSIC)

Ripple effect: As global freshwater basins dry up, the threat to ecosystems and communities grows

While we know how global changes in freshwater pose risks to humans and ecosystems, we know less about how people and ecosystems will respond to these global freshwater challenges.

Top contributors

More