Comments on: Is Groundwater Depletion Causing Sea-level Rise?

By: Water and Food Facts for World Water Day – Water Matters - State of the Planet

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:37:42 +0000

[...] amount of groundwater the world uses is so huge, it’s contributing to rising sea levels – as much as 25 percent of the observed amount in recent years. That means that an enormous [...]

By: Kathy Ylostalo

Kathy Ylostalo — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:55:50 +0000

As a public school science teacher, I believe that we will make much more progress in our fight to save our environment and our groundwater by educating the public, not through public policy. If we don’t change people’s hearts, they will not follow any policy regardless of the money and time spent to design and enforce it. If we spent the money instead on public education programs and impress upon our children and their parents that we could soon be fleeing from ghost towns in search of water and food if we do not better manage our earth’s resources, I believe we may be able to achieve long term effects that would outlast any policy that ebbs and flows depending on government majority.

By: Giving the Earth a Cool Shower–Is Massive Irrigation Hiding the Greenhouse Effect Around the World? – Water Matters - State of the Planet

Mon, 16 May 2011 13:31:26 +0000

[...] few months ago I reported on a study that suggested that human beings were depleting groundwater resources at such a staggering rate [...]

By: rod krug

rod krug — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:33:32 +0000

here is a link to see the Depletion in the High Plains Aquifer…..
http://geology.com/usgs/high-plains-aquifer.shtml

By: Arthur Michael Ambrosino

Arthur Michael Ambrosino — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:49:02 +0000

Dear Lakis:

So far as I know, after extensive lit reviews, I have not found any examples of sandharvesting mineral of economic importance to pay for freshwater impoundments. I only wish I hadn’t picked on minerals shed from the southeastern Adirondack’s high-grade metamorphic terrains, for my first pilot project. New York State is so dysfunctional. However, after years of persistence, the State is about to join me as a co-applicant to explore down to bedrock, the total ore reserve in the Great Sacandaga Lake. In New York though, that only means we’ll be able to get at that in about a year or so….

By: William Waterway

William Waterway — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:37:28 +0000

PS – As far as global warming is concerned – it is recognized by many leading scientists that increasing the quantity of water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere is one of the major contributing causes of global warming. This is due to water’s innate ability to trap and hold heat in the atmosphere – just like it does in our Earth’s oceans.

By: William Waterway

William Waterway — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:22:01 +0000

Quote from William E. Marks’ 2001 prescient book, “The Holy Order of Water, Healing Earth’s Waters and Ourselves”:
“Sea Levels continue to rise for various reasons. First, as mentioned earlier, the worldwide release of water into Earth’s atmosphere by the destruction of trees and other vegetation; the ever-increasing removal of groundwater; the loss of humus in topsoil for storing water; and the rapid evaporation of rainwater from human-made surfaces such as asphalt, concrete, and buildings – is causing the water cycle of the planet to carry more water into the atmosphere at an ever-increasing rate.
In this book, Mr. Marks further explains how heavy concentration of water behind dams; sediment collection behind dams, and groundwater pumping is causing the collapse of underground soils, gravel and rock formations – thus forever destroying areas of groundwater storage. Mr. Marks further explains that because freshwater is 40 times lighter than saltwater – large areas of Earth’s continents saturated with freshwater “float” on top the heavier salt water intruding beneath the continents from seas and oceans. The removal of freshwater and trapping of water and sediment behind dams is causing our “floating” continents to “sink”.
According to Mr. Marks, as our heavier continents sink – they push down on the underlying mantle of the Earth’s crust – which in turn causes the crust beneath the oceans to rise and further accelerate and exacerbate rising sea levels.

By: Lakis Polycarpou

Lakis Polycarpou — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:24:23 +0000

Griffin,

Thanks for your comment.

Do you have any evidence that water quality in the United States has improved *in spite of* and not because of the EPA? Can you give any examples?

I say this as someone who is sympathetic to the idea that regulation can often be irrational, serve vested interests rather than the public, or have negative unintended consequences. (Some examples being that until recently it was illegal to harvest rainwater in Colorado, or the fact that ecologically important graywater recycling systems are all but illegal in much of the country). But I find your assertion about the EPA questionable.

Also, whatever strides the US has made in terms of quality, in terms of exploitation it doesn’t seem to me that we are doing so well — see my points above about California and Ogallala.

Lakis

By: Griffin Crosby Jr

Griffin Crosby Jr — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 14:11:51 +0000

Arthur A. is very correct in surface water retention. Water does not leave this planet. It can be in three forms. But, man can pollute it beyond usage. Water and its usage is not taught in schools anymore (only liberal agendas). I feel the USA had made more strides than any other country in water regulations and protection and not because of the EPA. My saying ‘In a bureaucracy, they create a problem to justify their job. No job means no income, no hopitalization, no retirement all from tax payer expense.’

By: Ananta Boonsopon,M.D.

Ananta Boonsopon,M.D. — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:49:58 +0000

I think either Global warming or pumping up the undergroundwater causes more rising of Sea-level, the world is now under threat of danger.
Pumping up undergroundwater does not only increases sea water, but also causes land sink , while Global warming when come to critical point causes melting og Polar Icecaps. Can we imagine what will happed ?