New study: NASA satellites find snow didn’t offset Southwest US groundwater loss
Record snowfall in recent years has not been enough to offset long-term drying conditions and increasing groundwater demands in the U.S. Southwest, according to a new analysis of NASA satellite data. Declining water levels in the Great Salt Lake and Lake Mead have been testaments to a megadrought afflicting western North America since 2000. But surface water only accounts for a fraction of the Great Basin watershed that covers most of Nevada and large portions of California, Utah, and Oregon. Far more of the region’s water is underground. … A new look at 20 years of data … shows that the decline in groundwater in the Great Basin far exceeds stark surface water losses. … While new maps show a seasonal rise in water each spring due to melting snow from higher elevations, University of Maryland earth scientist Dorothy Hall said occasional snowy winters are unlikely to stop the dramatic water level decline that’s been underway in the U.S. Southwest.
Related Articles:
- AgNet West: Groundwater recharge efforts gain momentum in San Joaquin Valley
- PPIC: Groundwater in California
- PPIC:Video: Replenishing groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley
- The Ridgecrest Daily Independent: Groundwater authority prepares water plan for state review