Freshwater is rapidly disappearing around the globe. A new analysis reveals that a significant portion of it is flowing into the oceans. Alarmingly, the drying of continents is now contributing more to the rising levels of the than the melting of ice sheets.
This was reported by a team of scientists led by Earth systems specialist Hrishikesh Chandanpurkar from FLAME University in India. The researchers assert that urgent measures are needed to prepare for the drier times ahead, driven by and the depletion of groundwater due to human activities.
Utilizing over 20 years of satellite observations from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, the team investigated how and why the amount of water on land has changed since 2002.
What Did the Scientists Discover?
“We found that the continents (all land except Greenland and Antarctica) are drying out at an unprecedented rate, and that the areas of land experiencing drought are increasing annually by an area roughly twice the size of California,” the authors noted.
Humanity has severely disrupted the on Earth by emitting greenhouse gases and altering the direction of waterways and watersheds. Meanwhile, wet regions are becoming wetter, and dry areas are becoming drier, as reported by Science Alert.
“Dry areas are drying out faster than wet areas are becoming moist. The area of land that is drying out has increased, while the area of moist land has decreased,” the scientists wrote in their report.
As a result, overall freshwater reserves are diminishing, which has devastating consequences for the entire planet. This affects both surface freshwater sources, such as lakes and rivers, and groundwater stored deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Seventy-five percent of the world’s population lives in 101 countries where freshwater losses are escalating rapidly.
This water is primarily flowing into the oceans. Moreover, the amount of freshwater moving from continents to oceans is contributing more to rising sea levels than the melting ice sheets.
The loss of surface water is particularly pronounced in northern regions typically classified as dry. According to the authors, this is driven by the melting of ice and permafrost in those areas.
Trends in terrestrial water accumulation (February 2003 – April 2024), averaged for each country.
(Chandanpurkar et al., Sci. Adv., 2025)
Groundwater Needs Special Protection
On continents without glaciers, 68 percent of the loss of surface water can be attributed to the depletion of groundwater due to human activity. Recent extreme droughts in Central America and Europe have also played a role. Scientists predict that such events will become more frequent and intense in the context of the .
As fossil fuel emissions increase, altering precipitation patterns, people are desperately turning to groundwater. This adds pressure to these sources, which are not replenished at the same rate they are being depleted.
“Currently, excessive groundwater extraction is the primary factor in the reduction of surface water supplies in arid regions, significantly exacerbating the impacts of rising temperatures and extreme droughts,” the team believes.
According to the scientists, protecting the world’s groundwater reserves is of paramount importance in the face of global warming. The team hopes that humanity’s collective efforts toward sustainable groundwater use will help preserve this valuable resource for years to come.
The findings of the study were published in the journal Science Advances.
