Beneath the Earth’s surface lies over a thousand times more water than all the rivers and lakes in the world. This groundwater makes up for almost all the freshwater on the planet. However, in many areas of the world, groundwater is being extracted faster than the rate that it naturally recharges.
A new study determined that humans are pumping so much groundwater that it’s not only increasing sea levels, it’s actually shifting the entire planet on its axis.
The Earth’s rotational pole normally shifts and changes by about several meters each year.
Many factors contribute to this axial wobble, such as the melting of snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere every spring, which significantly changes the distribution of water mass on Earth.
Removing groundwater also redistributes water mass. Groundwater naturally exists under continents, however roughly 80% finds its way to the ocean through rivers after extraction, therefore shifting all that water mass from Earth’s continents to its oceans.
Groundwater provides for about 40% of global irrigation and is used for almost half of all drinking water.
Extracting it unsustainably could threaten aquatic ecosystems, cause water scarcity and increase sea levels.
Basically, groundwater depletion contributes to sea level rise because water is being transferred from the continents to the oceans.