University of California hydrologist Jay Famiglietti’s research team have been measuring changes in global water supplies over 10 years. They have found clear changes with Australia in one of the worst-hit zones.
Australia is losing groundwater at a rate of 70 times the volume of Sydney Harbour each year. In the 10 years examined Australia has been getting wetter in the rainy season but there is also a long-term downward trend of a loss of water at a rate of 38 cubic km per year.
The water loss is concentrated in the Murray-Darling Basin and the south-western states. There has been a reduction in the amount of water across all of Australia over the long term.