Mr. Zarwell
Global Studies Seminar
January 16, 2012
Underground Water Stores
The American Geophysical Union issued the following news release: “Groundwater Depletion Rate Accelerating Worldwide,” which focuses on the fast shrinking subterranean reservoirs which humans are pumping from at a fast rate which could dry the underground stores. The American Geophysical Union argues that people aren’t only taking out a great amount of water from the reservoirs, but also putting a large amount into the oceans which accounts for about 25% of the annual sea level rise worldwide. Also adding in that if the groundwater is not replenished we will run into a dilemma that is accompanied by hunger and social unrest. The argument here is very convincing and valid since it is based on hard facts of what is happening to our world today. In the study done by Marc Bierkens team in the Netherlands they use a database of global groundwater information including maps to estimate the rate at which aquifers are drained and added to. The team uses a variety of regions ranging from wetlands to arid regions which ensures all regions are being included in the testing.
The worry of the depletion of water worldwide sets a fearful tone through the article. On the first page the researchers surprisingly find, “the rate at which global groundwater stocks are shrinking has more than doubled between 1960 and 2000, increasing the amount lost from 126 to 283 cubic kilometers(30 to 68 cubic miles) of water per year” (1). This information emphasizes the issue that they are trying to have known. They then use this information to put it into retrospect and share that is this condition was put into place on the Great Lakes, they would be ‘bone-dry’ in about 80 years (1). While the researchers use evidence to back up their word and findings, the total amount of groundwater in the world is unknown and it is not known how fast the global supply of water would die out.
The assumption that the water will eventually vanish is a huge crisis and a debatable topic. While they are right that if humans keep consuming groundwater the way we do we could potentially use up all the reservoirs, they do not discuss the ways in which humans rely on taking up that groundwater to survive. Some people have to use the groundwater from wells because they have no other option for drinking water or for giving their animals water to drink. The people who reside in wealthy nations and places should be watching their water intake compared to the poor villagers who can only take up a certain amount of water from deep down when they really need to for staying alive.
The American Geophysical Union blames humans want for so much water on the depletion. Like their other points since groundwater only represents 30% of the available freshwater on our planet, and the rest of it is locked up in glaciers or the polar ice caps humans need to use water in a more sustainable way to reduce the scarcity of it. Humans can help the world in two ways by doing one thing: by not depleting so much water from underground and then letting it runoff into the oceans which raises the sea level. By educating people on sustainable use of water the subterranean reservoirs will raise and the sea levels will not rise even more than they are with the melting caps.
The American Geophysical Union is right that the underground water reservoirs are diminishing. They even hit at the fact that because of increasing population numbers, we are using a lot of the water for agriculture to feed the population. Educating people on how to reduce their amount of water uses will help to increase our water table and lower our unknown contribution to the sea levels rising. In reality the subterranean reservoirs will keep depleting at an accelerating rate unless humans take action to slow the depletion down.
Works Cited
"Groundwater Depletion Rate Accelerating Worldwide."Targeted News Service [Washington D.C] 23 sep 2010, n. pag. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. http://search.proquest.com/docview/753782712?accountid=285
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