The Implications of These Technologically Derived Environmental Findings

Understanding the methods behind tracking environmental trends is a way to see for yourself changes in the earth’s climate. These are very introductory explanations, but offer insight to the larger implications of satellite and spatial analysis technology. It is with these same tools that climate scientists who contribute to reports like the UN’s Special Report on Global Warming use in their research. Changes indicated in amounts of evapotranspiration and groundwater in India are major factors influencing agriculture and drinking water availability there.

    Levels of evapotranspiration indicate areas which are depleted of water at the surface level, and groundwater depths indicate areas which are depleted of water below surface level. Differences in these readings are generally due to irrigation. When water is added to farmland from an external source, the evapotranspiration there will still be high, regardless of the depletion of groundwater there. The main sources for irrigation also happen to be groundwater reserves. The water used for this irrigation is being pumped up from groundwater stores, and causes these levels to decrease.

    When countries who are dependant on agriculture/irrigation/groundwater storage eventually deplete their groundwater stores completely, not only will they face humanitarian and economic crises, but so will the rest of the world. Nearly every country today relies on others for resources and economic support. With increasing trends of evapotranspiration and decreasing water storage, this support may not be as available in the future.

Now that you are aware of the trends of our past and the implications they have on our future, I hope that you take this knowledge with you as you navigate worldly decisions like voting and voicing your opinion to government representatives and being conscious of your use of resources. I hope that you take this message, and continue to spread it where you can.