Published in the Geophysical Review Letters, a new study by
researchers in the Netherlands has shown that runoff and
evaporation from worldwide depletion of groundwater accounts for
about 25% of today’s rising sea levels. The scientists reported
that volumes of groundwater removal have more than doubled, from
99.7 million acre-feet in 1960 to 229.4 million in 2000.
However, at the same time that groundwater use is contributing
to sea level rise, it is also creating water shortages due to a
general inability for water tables to be quickly Dr. Peter H.
Gleick, leading expert on water issues and president of the
Oakland-based Pacific Institute in California, USA highlighted
the inevitable dwindling of such sources as he said, “Forty
percent of our groundwater withdrawals are coming from
unsustainable sources of water. By definition, unsustainable
means it can’t continue forever.” The researchers concluded by
stating that the effect on sea level rise is expected to
diminish, but that is only because continued use