Virtual groundwater transfers from overexploited aquifers in the United States

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1500457112
• Publication Date: 2015-06-30T02:55:30Z
• Authors: Landon Marston; Megan Konar; Ximing Cai; Tara J. Troy
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 13. Climate action; Groundwater; 01 natural sciences; United States; 6. Clean water; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Significance Irrigated agriculture is contributing to the depletion of the Central Valley, High Plains, and Mississippi Embayment aquifer systems. Agricultural production within these aquifer regions comprises a significant portion of the domestic and international cereal supply; thus, potential food security implications arise if production significantly decreases to bring groundwater withdrawals within sustainable limits. For the first time to our knowledge, this study tracks and quantifies the food and embodied groundwater resources from these aquifer systems to their final destination and determines the major US cities, US states, and countries that are currently most reliant upon them. Tracing virtual groundwater transfers highlights the role of distant demands on local groundwater sustainability and the fact that aquifer depletion must be considered within its global context.