A new study using data from a pair of gravity-measuring NASA satellites finds that large parts of the arid Middle East region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade.

“[This] data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, which currently have the second fastest rate of groundwater storage loss on Earth, after India,” said Jay Famiglietti, principal investigator of the study and a hydrologist and professor at UC Irvine. “The rate was especially striking after the 2007 drought. Meanwhile, demand for freshwater continues to rise, and the region does not coordinate its water management because of different interpretations of international laws.”

Tags: water, environment, consumption, resources, environment depend, Middle East, Iraq.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

This is a perfect example of geospatial technologies can lead to a better understanding of how the Earth’s physical systems are changing because of human geography.  Teaching geography is about showing how these systems are interconnected.   

See on www.nasa.gov