A silent crisis is unfolding beneath our feet in the vast expanse of the southwestern United States.
As IFLScience reports, gigantic cracks, ominously known as fissures, are emerging across states like Arizona, Utah, California, and Texas, and they pose a menacing threat to the environment and our daily lives.
Behind these alarming geological phenomena lies a sobering revelation: human activity is the root cause of these earth-shattering rifts.
A Closer Look
While they may not be as visually spectacular as volcanoes or tsunamis, these ground fissures are no less destructive.
Joseph Cook, a researcher at the Arizona Geological Survey, explains to Insider that these fissures are not the result of natural processes; instead, they manifest human intervention in the environment.
The primary driver behind these gaping chasms is the excessive extraction of groundwater, which has been occurring at an unsustainable rate.
Groundwater, often considered a hidden treasure, serves as a vital source of freshwater, supplying nearly half of the drinking water in the United States and supporting about 40% of global irrigation.
However, as the demand for water surges, aquifers-those underground reservoirs of freshwater-are being drained faster than they can naturally replenish.
Ground Subsidence
"More than 80 percent of known land subsidence in the US is a consequence of groundwater use," the US Geological Survey reports.
"These fissures are not a naturally occurring thing," Cook emphasizes. "It's something we've caused to form."
The extent of this crisis is nothing short of staggering. The New York Times conducted a comprehensive investigation into groundwater depletion, revealing a sobering truth: our aquifers, which provide water for approximately 90% of the United States water systems, are being depleted to such an extent that recovery may be a distant dream.
Data from monitoring sites nationwide reveals that nearly half of these sites have seen significant declines in the past four decades, and 40% have reached all-time lows in the last ten years.
Cook's assessment is even more chilling. He believes some areas, particularly in Arizona, are past the point of no return. "Basically, some of these basins in Arizona are so far beyond that point that it's never going to bounce back," he adds.
Climate Change's Hand in the Fissures
The picture becomes even bleaker when we consider climate change's role in exacerbating this crisis. Rising temperatures have led to shrinking rivers, pushing farmers to rely further on groundwater for freshwater, creating an insidious cycle.
The Colorado River, a lifeline for farmers across the Southwest, has seen a nearly 20% decline in freshwater flow since 2000.
Predictions suggest that a 2-5 degree Fahrenheit increase in the Colorado River Basin's temperatures by 2050 could reduce river flow by a staggering 10% to 40%.
Regulatory Dilemma
One of the significant obstacles in tackling this crisis is the lack of effective regulation.
At the federal level, groundwater pumping is barely regulated, leaving it to individual states to set rules, which often vary in strength and scope.
Some states, like Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, even allow groundwater pumped from regions until it is entirely depleted.
This regulatory hole, combined with a lack of comprehensive national studies on groundwater, allows practices that exacerbate groundwater depletion to persist.
Stay posted here at Tech Times.
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