Aquifers are vital for balanced ecosystems and human existence. While only 3% of the water on Earth is freshwater, almost 99% of that unfrozen volume is located in these geological formations. Despite their importance, little is known about the water that flows beneath our feet — almost always invisibly — and supplies rivers and lakes, especially during dry periods. Drilling and monitoring wells are expensive and complex tasks, especially in continental countries, but they are also essential. According to UNESCO, groundwaters are the primary source for more than 2 billion people’s drinking water and for 25% of irrigated agriculture on the planet. A new model developed by engineer geologist Clyvihk Camacho from the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB), an agency of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, promises to refresh knowledge about the dynamics and state of aquifers by combining data from NASA satellites with artificial intelligence tools in order to identify variations in the volume of aquifers. The model was validated with data from the aquifers where SGB’s Integrated Groundwater Monitoring Network (RIMAS) is stronger. In the process, Camacho found that two aquifers — the Urucuia in the Cerrado and the Bauru-Caiuá, which covers the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest — lost 31 cubic kilometers (7.43 cubic miles) and 6 km3 (1.4 mi3) from 2002-21, respectively. The results were presented in the project’s first article, published in Water Resources Research, in August 2023. In the Urucuia aquifer, monoculture irrigation contributed to a 31-cubic-kilometer (7.43-cubic-mile) decrease in volume from 2002-21.…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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