The Impending Collapse of Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems: A Global Crisis Requiring Geoethical Focused Intervention

 Mike Buchanan - 2025

Abstract

Groundwater is a vital, yet often overlooked, component of the Earth's hydrological system. It supports diverse subterranean ecosystems, provides essential baseflow to surface water bodies, is a crucial source of potable water for human populations worldwide. However, unsustainable groundwater extraction, pollution, and disruption of natural recharge processes have led to the rapid depletion and degradation of aquifers globally. This paper synthesises the latest scientific evidence demonstrating the severe and accelerating impacts of groundwater depletion on ecosystems, climate, and human communities. I argue that the groundwater crisis represents an existential threat that demands a radical transformation in how we manage this critical resource.

Introduction

Groundwater is estimated to account for nearly 30% of the world's total freshwater resources (Shiklomanov, (1993). It plays a crucial role in sustaining terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, providing baseflow to rivers, lakes, and wetlands, and supporting diverse subterranean biomes, like carbonate karst systems. Groundwater also serves as a vital source of drinking water for billions of people, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where surface water resources are scarce (Gleick (1993). However, the global groundwater system is under unprecedented stress due to human activities. Intensive agricultural irrigation, industrial and municipal withdrawals and the disruption of natural recharge processes have led to the rapid depletion of aquifers worldwide (Wada et al (2010). It is estimated that between 2000 and 2050, global groundwater abstraction will increase by 22-32% (Wada et al (2014), far exceeding the rate of natural replenishment or recharge.

The consequences of groundwater depletion are severe and wide-ranging. Falling water tables have caused the drying up of springs, streams, and wetlands, leading to the degradation and destruction of aquifers, loss of critical habitats for numerous plant and animal species (Gleeson et al (2016). Saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers has contaminated freshwater supplies, while land subsidence triggered by groundwater overexploitation has damaged infrastructure and increased flood risk in many regions (Galloway & Burbey (2011).

Moreover, the disruption of groundwater-surface water interactions has profound implications for the global climate system. Groundwater depletion alters regional precipitation patterns, exacerbates drought conditions, and contributes to the warming of the Earth's surface through moisture depletion and the release of latent heat (Taylor et al 2013).

These feedback loops threaten to further destabilising already fragile ecosystems and human communities. South Africa, Gauteng, Centurion, Pretoria - Khutsong in Carletonville being good examples.

Despite the growing body of scientific evidence, the groundwater crisis has received relatively little attention compared to other environmental issues. Groundwater is often viewed as a commodity to be extracted for human use, rather than a vital component of the broader hydrological cycle that sustains life on Earth. Urgent action is needed to address this crisis before it is too late.

Methods

This paper synthesises the findings from a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed scientific literature on the impacts of groundwater depletion and degradation. I examined studies from a range of disciplines, including hydrology, ecology, climate science, and environmental policy, to develop a holistic understanding of the groundwater crisis and its implications through the lens of geoethics.

Results

My analysis reveals the following key findings:

  1. Groundwater depletion is a global phenomenon, with significant declines observed in major aquifer systems across North America, South Asia, the Middle East, and North & Southern Africa (Wada et al (2012).
  2. Falling water tables have led to the drying up of springs, streams, and wetlands, resulting in the loss of critical habitat for numerous plant and animal species, including many endangered and endemic species (Gleeson et al 2012).
  3. Saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers has contaminated freshwater supplies, threatening the livelihoods and food security of millions of people (Werner et al 2013).
  4. Land subsidence triggered by groundwater overexploitation has damaged infrastructure, increased flood risk, and exacerbated the impacts of sea-level rise in many regions (Galloway& Burbey (2011).
  5. The disruption of groundwater-surface water interactions has altered regional precipitation patterns, contributing to the intensification of drought conditions and the warming of the Earth's surface through the release of latent heat (Taylor et al 2013).
  6. Current groundwater management policies and practices are largely inadequate, failing to address the scale and complexity of the crisis. Urgent, transformative action is needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of this critical resource.

References

1. Shiklomanov, I. A. (1993). World freshwater resources. Water in crisis, 13, 13-24.

2. Gleick, P. H. (1993). Water in crisis: a guide to the world's freshwater resources. Oxford University Press.

3. Wada, Y., van Beek, L. P., van Kempen, C. M., Reckman, J. W., Vasak, S., & Bierkens, M. F. (2010). Global depletion of groundwater resources. Geophysical research letters, 37(20).

4. Wada, Y., Wisser, D., & Bierkens, M. F. (2014). Global modeling of withdrawal, allocation and consumptive use of surface water and groundwater resources. Earth System Dynamics, 5(1), 15-40.

5. Gleeson, T., Befus, K. M., Jasechko, S., Luijendijk, E., & Cardenas, M. B. (2016). The global volume and distribution of modern groundwater. Nature Geoscience, 9(2), 161-167.

6. Galloway, D. L., & Burbey, T. J. (2011). Review: regional land subsidence accompanying groundwater extraction. Hydrogeology Journal, 19(8), 1459-1486.

7. Taylor, R. G., Scanlon, B., Döll, P., Rodell, M., Van Beek, R., Wada, Y., ... & Treidel, H. (2013). Ground water and climate change. Nature climate change, 3(4), 322-329.

8. Wada, Y., van Beek, L. P., & Bierkens, M. F. (2012). Non-sustainable groundwater sustaining irrigation: a global assessment. Water Resources Research, 48(6).

9. Gleeson, T., Alley, W. M., Allen, D. M., Sophocleous, M. A., Zhou, Y., Taniguchi, M., & VanderSteen, J. (2012). Towards sustainable groundwater use: setting long-term goals, backcasting, and managing adaptively. Groundwater, 50(1), 19-26.

10. Werner, A. D., Bakker, M., Post, V. E., Vandenbohede, A., Lu, C., Ataie-Ashtiani, B., ... & Barry, D. A. (2013). Seawater intrusion processes, investigation and management: recent advances and future challenges. Advances in water resources, 51, 3-26.

11. Galloway, D. L., & Burbey, T. J. (2011). Review: regional land subsidence accompanying groundwater extraction. Hydrogeology Journal, 19(8), 1459-1486.

12. Taylor, R. G., Scanlon, B., Döll, P., Rodell, M., Van Beek, R., Wada, Y., ... & Treidel, H. (2013). Ground water and climate change. Nature climate change, 3(4), 322-329.

13. Groundwater (2023) – National State of Water Report - Department of Water and Sanitation, South Africa.

14. Image credit - Sinkhole – Dolomite in Khutsong, Carletonville – The Citizen 2022 – Nigel Sibada- https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/video-pics-sinkholes-swallowing-khutsong-force-residents-out-of-their-homes/

 

 

 

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