Groundwater: A Resource in Decline

Research Article| June 01, 2011 Groundwater: A Resource in Decline Franklin W. Schwartz; Franklin W. Schwartz *School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210, USA E-mail: schwartz.11@osu.edu; ibaraki.1@osu.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Motomu Ibaraki Motomu Ibaraki *School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210, USA E-mail: schwartz.11@osu.edu; ibaraki.1@osu.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Franklin W. Schwartz *School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210, USA E-mail: schwartz.11@osu.edu; ibaraki.1@osu.edu Motomu Ibaraki *School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210, USA E-mail: schwartz.11@osu.edu; ibaraki.1@osu.edu Publisher: Mineralogical Society of America First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1811-5217 Print ISSN: 1811-5209 © 2011 by the Mineralogical Society of America Elements (2011) 7 (3): 175–179. https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.7.3.175 Article history First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Franklin W. Schwartz, Motomu Ibaraki; Groundwater: A Resource in Decline. Elements 2011;; 7 (3): 175–179. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.7.3.175 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyElements Search Advanced Search Abstract Around the world, groundwater sources are in decline due to overpumping and pollution. History informs us that as water supplies are lost so are civilizations. Such was the case with the Garamantian civilization, which thrived in the western Libya desert from 500 BCE to 400 CE, then disappeared when the groundwater ran out. Present-day mining of groundwater from large aquifers in the United States, North Africa, and China illustrates this problem. In less than a century, pressures from food production and population growth are leading to declines in supplies that appeared to many as inexhaustible. In many countries, there can be no replacement for declining water resources. Food scarcity and health epidemics, leading to societal decline, are likely outcomes as people chase dwindling water supplies. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.