NASA Satellites Reveal Worldwide Water DepletionBy Joshua Krause But just how widespread is this problem? Is the world truly facing a massive water crisis, or is the news over reporting the conditions of a few hard hit regions? NASA may have the answer. They wanted to see if the worlds fresh water aquifers were being depleted, so they turned to their GRACE satellites, which are capable of making detailed measurements of the Earths gravity in any region. The results have not been encouraging. The worlds largest underground aquifers a source of fresh water for hundreds of millions of people are being depleted at alarming rates, according to new NASA satellite datathat provides the most detailed picture yet of vital water reserves hidden under the Earths surface. Twenty-one of the worlds 37 largest aquifers in locations from India and China to the United States and France have passed their sustainability tipping points, meaning more water was removed than replaced during the decade-long study period, researchers announced Tuesday. Thirteen aquifers declined at rates that put them into the most troubled category. The researchers said this indicated a long-term problem thats likely to worsen as reliance on aquifers grows. Scientists had long suspected that humans were taxing the worlds underground water supply, but the NASA data was the first detailed assessment to demonstrate that major aquifers were indeed struggling to keep pace with demands from agriculture, growing populations, and industries such as mining. According to data compiled by Water Resources Research and the Washington Post, this is what the situation looks like. NASAs examination of the words water supply is troubling to say the least. With more than a third of humanitys water being delivered by underground aquifers, and with many of these resources drying up in potential and active conflict zones, the world seems primed for a water war in the near future. Also see: Worldwide Water Shortage by 2040? Study concludes that water shortages may be a bigger problem than we thought. Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple, where this article first appeared. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshuas reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshuas website is Strange Danger. 