Henry Oliver
University of California, Santa Barbara
| Subject Areas: | Water management |
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ABSTRACT:
Groundwater is the primary water source for irrigated agriculture in many arid regions. Consequently, groundwater declines in cultivated drylands can threaten the sustainability of irrigation. However, little is known about why groundwater levels decline rapidly in some areas and more slowly in others. Here, we develop an accessible and reproducible workflow that integrates open-source, high-resolution data for groundwater-level records, evapotranspiration, and precipitation data to explore the relationship between agriculture and groundwater decline. We show that groundwater declines tend to be most rapid in areas where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation. Our finding holds across multiple agricultural regions, spanning from southern California to eastern Arkansas. Our results suggest that regions where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation are at elevated risk of groundwater depletion, and could be good areas to intensify future monitoring efforts. Altogether, our analyses demonstrate how climate and satellite data can be useful predictors of groundwater decline in cultivated drylands, and may provide a promising proxy for groundwater withdrawals where well metering data is absent.
ABSTRACT:
Groundwater is the primary water source for irrigated agriculture in many arid regions. Consequently, groundwater declines in cultivated drylands can threaten the sustainability of irrigation. However, little is known about why groundwater levels decline rapidly in some areas and more slowly in others. Here, we develop an accessible and reproducible workflow that integrates open-source, high-resolution data for groundwater-level records, evapotranspiration, and precipitation data to explore the relationship between agriculture and groundwater decline. We show that groundwater declines tend to be most rapid in areas where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation. Our finding holds across multiple agricultural regions, spanning from southern California to eastern Arkansas. Our results suggest that regions where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation are at elevated risk of groundwater depletion, and could be good areas to intensify future monitoring efforts. Altogether, our analyses demonstrate how climate and satellite data can be useful predictors of groundwater decline in cultivated drylands, and may provide a promising proxy for groundwater withdrawals where well metering data is absent.
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Created: May 10, 2026, 5:47 p.m.
Authors: Oliver, Henry · Richard Montes-Lemus · Austin Martinez · Marie Tolteca
ABSTRACT:
Groundwater is the primary water source for irrigated agriculture in many arid regions. Consequently, groundwater declines in cultivated drylands can threaten the sustainability of irrigation. However, little is known about why groundwater levels decline rapidly in some areas and more slowly in others. Here, we develop an accessible and reproducible workflow that integrates open-source, high-resolution data for groundwater-level records, evapotranspiration, and precipitation data to explore the relationship between agriculture and groundwater decline. We show that groundwater declines tend to be most rapid in areas where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation. Our finding holds across multiple agricultural regions, spanning from southern California to eastern Arkansas. Our results suggest that regions where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation are at elevated risk of groundwater depletion, and could be good areas to intensify future monitoring efforts. Altogether, our analyses demonstrate how climate and satellite data can be useful predictors of groundwater decline in cultivated drylands, and may provide a promising proxy for groundwater withdrawals where well metering data is absent.
Created: May 21, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Authors: Oliver, Henry · Richard Montes-Lemus · Marie Tolteca · Austin Martinez
ABSTRACT:
Groundwater is the primary water source for irrigated agriculture in many arid regions. Consequently, groundwater declines in cultivated drylands can threaten the sustainability of irrigation. However, little is known about why groundwater levels decline rapidly in some areas and more slowly in others. Here, we develop an accessible and reproducible workflow that integrates open-source, high-resolution data for groundwater-level records, evapotranspiration, and precipitation data to explore the relationship between agriculture and groundwater decline. We show that groundwater declines tend to be most rapid in areas where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation. Our finding holds across multiple agricultural regions, spanning from southern California to eastern Arkansas. Our results suggest that regions where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation are at elevated risk of groundwater depletion, and could be good areas to intensify future monitoring efforts. Altogether, our analyses demonstrate how climate and satellite data can be useful predictors of groundwater decline in cultivated drylands, and may provide a promising proxy for groundwater withdrawals where well metering data is absent.