NASA Satellite Data Reveals Hidden Global Groundwater Crisis

Researchers analyzed NASA's GRACE and GRACE-FO satellite data from 2002 to 2025 to map global freshwater storage at 5–10 times the resolution of earlier maps. They identified 40 regions where human activity drives water losses, with previous estimates of groundwater depletion understated by an average of 45%.

• GRACE and GRACE-FO data span April 2002 to November 2025
• New map has 5–10 times the spatial resolution of traditional maps
• 40 regions show human-driven terrestrial water storage losses
• Earlier groundwater depletion estimates were 45% lower on average