Satellite Study Reveals Major Groundwater Loss in Lake Mead Basin During Drought
What happened
A new satellite study on the Lake Mead basin found that the Upper Colorado River Basin lost about 4.6 trillion gallons of groundwater during the 2020-2022 drought. This loss was nearly double the 2.5 trillion gallons lost by the drier Lower Basin. The study, which utilized NASA’s GRACE satellites, was led by a researcher from Virginia Tech, and G. Carlson of Indiana University Bloomington was a third author.
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Why it matters
The findings document the most intense drought in the basin since 2004. The basin serves as a critical water storage component for the Colorado River system, which supplies water to over 40 million people.
From ecoticias.com
Who's involved
- Indiana University BloomingtonA researcher contributed to the satellite study focused on the Lake Mead basin.
- Lake MeadThe lake that was the subject of the satellite study regarding groundwater loss.
- Colorado RiverThe major river that feeds and sustains Lake Mead.
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
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The entities involved
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Indiana University Bloomington
public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. (flagship campus of the Indiana University system)
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Lake Mead
lake in Johnston County, Wyoming, United States
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