118-7 Global Groundwater Level Monitoring, Status and Trends

Session: Groundwater in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Presenting Author:

Authors:

Abstract:

The growing concern about groundwater depletion, coupled with the chronic lack of information on its status, underscores the urgent need for enhanced groundwater monitoring and assessment. Within the framework of the Global Groundwater Monitoring Network (GGMN), IGRAC has been actively promoting data sharing and contributing to evidence-based groundwater assessments globally.

This work presents an assessment of groundwater level (GWL) status and trends globally based on in-situ data thanks to the collaboration of 47 countries that have established and maintained monitoring networks and shared updated GWL data through IGRAC. Multiple indicators are used to assess GWL status and trends over the past 20 years, including: 1) Groundwater level ranking; 2) Mann-Kendall test to identify statistically significant trends; 2) normalized Sen's slope to quantify the magnitude of GWL changes; 3) hydrograph analysis to interpret temporal variations in GWL at both station and aquifer levels. Regional patterns and critical hotspots of rising or declining GWL are identified and analysed in the light hydrogeological, climatic, and anthropogenic factors.

This study recalls the crucial role of in-situ measurements for accurate and reliable assessments of groundwater quantitative status. It offers critical insights from local to global scales, enhancing our understanding of groundwater resources and its status, which cannot be captured by remote sensing or modelling alone. It also highlights the need for broader participation of countries and all stakeholders to improve global data coverage, allowing for a continuous improvement of groundwater status assessments over time and supporting evidence-based sustainable groundwater management.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7142

© Copyright 2025 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved.