The continents are drying at an alarming rate
A satellite-data study shows Earth has been losing freshwater since 2002.
Every year, the area of drying land grows by a surface equivalent to twice the size of California.
A study published in Science Advances in 2025, with participation from Arizona State University, analyzed more than two decades of data from satellites that measure changes in Earth's gravity to track water stored on the continents.
Since 2002, drying regions have grown each year by an area about twice that of California. 68% of the loss is groundwater, pumped from aquifers faster than it recharges. Dry areas are merging into large "mega-regions" in the Northern Hemisphere.
The consequence is twofold. On one hand, water loss on land already contributes more to sea-level rise than melting ice sheets. On the other, 75% of the world's population lives in countries that are losing freshwater, threatening agriculture and food security.
The work, led by Jay Famiglietti with Hrishikesh Chandanpurkar as first author, used data from the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions from 2002 to 2024. It identified four drying mega-regions in the Northern Hemisphere: southwestern North America and Central America; Alaska and northern Canada; northern Russia; and a huge belt stretching from the Middle East and North Africa to East and Southeast Asia.
Key facts
- Satellite data since 2002.
- 68% of the loss is groundwater.
- Land water loss now outpaces ice sheets as a cause of sea-level rise.
- 75% of people live in countries losing freshwater.
The authors call for better aquifer management before the loss becomes irreversible.
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