Jomaa (2025) Other Drivers of Climate Change, Groundwater Water Depletion

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Geology & Mining
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-10-09
• Authors: Ihab Jomaa
• DOI: 10.33140/jgm.02.02.03

Research Groups

• Department of Irrigation and Agrometeorology, Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute, Lebanon

Short Summary

This paper synthesizes evidence demonstrating that groundwater depletion is a critical, often overlooked, driver of climate change through its impact on heat exchange and soil moisture, and it also compromises the accuracy of climate monitoring data.

Objective

• To explore the multifaceted relationship between groundwater depletion and climate change, specifically investigating how groundwater depletion acts as a driver of climate shifts and impacts the accuracy of climate monitoring data.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global review with regional examples, including Earth's 37 largest aquifers, specific regions in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East.
• Temporal Scale: Focuses on current trends and recent historical data (e.g., groundwater extraction doubling between 1960 and 2000, climate data collection over a century).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable; this is a review and synthesis paper, not a modeling study.
• Data sources:
  • GRACE satellite mission data for monitoring aquifer depletion and replenishment.
  • Data from global networks of weather stations and satellites for temperature tracking.
  • IPCC findings and reports.
  • Existing scientific literature and research studies.

Main Results

• Groundwater depletion is a pressing global issue, with 21 out of the 37 largest aquifers showing irreversible depletion, 13 of which are in water-scarce regions.
• Aquifer depletion can reach significant depths, with some regions experiencing drops of up to 50 meters (e.g., Bekaa Valley, Lebanon).
• Overexploitation of groundwater leads to streamflow depletion, reducing baseflows in surface water bodies, harming aquatic ecosystems, and degrading water quality.
• Groundwater depletion contributes to climate change by reducing soil moisture and evapotranspiration, leading to increased heat buildup in the soil and elevated local and regional temperatures.
• Changes in soil moisture and groundwater levels disrupt the Earth's natural heat exchange processes, influencing local and global climate patterns.
• Urbanization, land-cover changes, and factors like soil moisture and groundwater depth compromise the accuracy of temperature measurements from weather stations, potentially skewing climate records.
• Degradation and dust accumulation on automated weather station radiation shields can lead to artificially elevated temperature readings.

Contributions

• Highlights groundwater depletion as an active, often overlooked, driver of climate change, rather than solely a consequence.
• Emphasizes the critical feedback loop between groundwater depletion, soil drying, heat retention, and altered weather patterns.
• Draws attention to the significant impact of environmental changes, including groundwater depletion, on the reliability and accuracy of climate monitoring data from weather stations.
• Advocates for an integrated approach to sustainable water management and climate strategies, recognizing the complex interconnections between water resources and climate.

Funding

• No specific funding projects or programs were mentioned in the paper.

Citation

@article{Jomaa2025Other,
  author = {Jomaa, Ihab},
  title = {Other Drivers of Climate Change, Groundwater Water Depletion},
  journal = {Journal of Geology & Mining},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.33140/jgm.02.02.03},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.33140/jgm.02.02.03}
}