Irrigation and Groundwater Depletion
- Visualizations by:
- Ernie Wright
- View full credits
The amount of water involved is enormous. Worldwide, the irrigation of farmland accounts for about 70% of the fresh water diverted by human activity. We might each drink only a few liters (quarts) of water per day, but the food we eat can require a thousand times as much water to produce. Some of the underground aquifers tapped for irrigation replenish so slowly that they are considered a non-renewable resource. The overuse of this groundwater could have long-term consequences for food security and the stability of global markets in food, cotton, and other agricultural products.
A new study by researchers at University College London and NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York City combines trade data and a global water usage model to determine which crops are grown with non-renewable groundwater and where those crops are consumed. The study appears in the March 30, 2017 issue of Nature.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Visualizer
- Ernie Wright (USRA) [Lead]
Writer
- Ellen T. Gray (NASA/HQ)
Scientists
- Carole Dalin (University College London)
- Michael Puma (Columbia University)
- Thomas Kastner (Alpen-Adria Universitaet Klagenfurt)
- Yoshihide Wada (Columbia University)
Producer
- Kathryn Mersmann (KBRwyle)
Papers
This visualization is based on the following papers:-
C. Dalin, Y. Wada, T. Kastner, M. Puma,
Groundwater depletion embedded in international food trade.
Nature543, 700-704 (30 March 2017)
Datasets used in this visualization
Y. Wada et al. Global Annual Groundwater Depletion, 1900-2100, 0.5 deg
Y. Wada et al. Global Monthly Irrigation, 1/12 deg, 1900-2005
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.
Related pages
Crop Irrigation Is Closely Tied to Groundwater Depletion Around the World
March 29, 2017, 8 a.m.
Read moreMusic credit: Time Is Passing by Theo Golding [PRS]Narrated by Michael Puma The irrigation that grows crops, especially in dry countries, can also be responsible for taxing aquifers beyond their capacities. Groundwater depletion is embedded in the international food trade, with countries exporting crops grown from overexploited aquifers and setting up potential future food crises if the aquifers run dry. From 2000 to 2010, groundwater depletion from irrigation increased 22 percent globally. Using Earth observations and models, scientists can understand and predict where groundwater depletion will be most severe. Video for InstagramMusic credit: Time Is Passing by Theo Golding [PRS]Narrated by Michael PumaComplete transcript available. Complete transcript available.Narrated by Katy Mersmann