Overview

• A July 2025 Science Advances study using 2002–24 GRACE/GRACE-FO satellite data finds terrestrial water loss now surpasses glacier melt in fueling global sea level rise.
• Dry land areas are expanding by roughly twice the size of California each year as climate change and extreme droughts accelerate continental drying.
• Researchers have mapped four interconnected northern hemisphere “mega-dry” regions, including a continuous zone from the US Southwest through Central America.
• Groundwater depletion accounts for 68% of total land water loss, exceeding contributions from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets combined.
• Freshwater reserves are shrinking in 101 countries, placing 75% of the world’s population at risk and highlighting the need for immediate sustainable water management policies.