COMMUNICATING ABOUT GROUNDWATER DEPLETION

Groundwater depletion is a global problem. In this respect, it has certain features akin to climate change. It’s hard to understand the scope of a problem you can’t see and that develops slowly. Groundwater depletion is also situational; depending on local/regional geology, climate, surface-water availability, and social factors. This paper examines how groundwater depletion is communicated to policymakers and the public using examples from the recent book, “High and Dry: Meeting the Challenges of the World’s Growing Dependence on Groundwater.” The importance of a multi-scale perspective is emphasized along with the challenges of addressing concepts of sustainability and resilience, capture vs storage depletion, long response times, and the importance of integrated monitoring and modeling.