running out of groundwater

I am rapidly running out of big topics that I have never covered in my CB features, but groundwater was one of them until now. With severe drought becoming a common problem associated with the climate catastrophe (and not helped by catastrophic flooding that doesn't do much to replenish the aquifers), there have been a few worrying reports of shrinking groundwater supplies from around the world recently along with a call to recognise the groundwater as a keystone ecosystem. I've also been very excited to learn about the underground aqueducts of ancient Persia (picture below) known as qanats, many of which still provide a much more sustainable access to groundwater than modern day wells.

All of which is stitched together in my latest feature which is out now:

Losing our groundwater

Current Biology Volume 34, Issue 3, 5 February 2024, Pages R75-R77

Restricted access to full text and PDF download
(will become open access one year after publication)

Magic link for free access
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See also my new Mastodon thread where I will highlight all this year's CB features.

Last year's thread ishere .

In ancient Persia, underground aqueducts known as qanats channelled groundwater to low-lying outlet points by gravity alone. Although some are still used in modern-day Iran, like the one shown here in Gonabad, many have been abandoned and replaced with deep wells operating less sustainably. (Photo: Basp1/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed).)