Peter GleickDec 22, 2022

Massive accelerating groundwater overdraft in California’s Central Valley as drought worsens.
#water
#climate

Groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley accelerates during megadrought | Nature Communications
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35582-x#Fig4

Groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley accelerates during megadrought - Nature Communications

Liu et al. used the NASA GRACE/FO missions to show that since 2019, groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley has accelerated by 31% compared to recent droughts, and has increased by a nearly a factor of 5 compared to the 60-year average.

Nature
Show threadGaryO
@petergleick Important results. Between recharges, rate of depletion is much faster than the long term trend would predict. Is there any guidance about remaining agricultural supply? I.e. when will the groundwater become so low that agriculture in the Central Valley becomes impossible, given current trends?
Dec 24, 2022 at 1:31pmWeb