Scientists shocked by data showing Earth’s continents are drying at an unstoppable pace.

The Earth’s Continents Are
Drying Out Faster Than Ever
Ashley Morgan / The Daily Galaxy

(July 29, 2025) — In a new revelation that has sparked concern among environmentalists and researchers, satellite data from NASA’s GRACE mission has shown that Earth’s continents are drying at an unprecedented rate.

Since 2002, the amount of freshwater on the planet has been rapidly decreasing, with the areas affected growing by an alarming rate every year. According to the data, the amount of land suffering from water loss is expanding at twice the size of California annually. The satellite data highlights several key regions where the effects of water loss are most pronounced.

The western coast of North America, including parts of Southwestern North America, as well as Central America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, are seeing severe drying. These regions, already prone to drought, are facing worsening conditions that are threatening agriculture, sanitation, and the overall resilience to climate change.

The situation is dire: a staggering 75% of the global population now resides in areas suffering from freshwater loss, underlining the wide-reaching impact of this crisis. This continued drying threatens to intensify desertification in already arid areas, further destabilizing the affected regions.

The Role of Groundwater Depletion
One of the main contributors to this growing water shortage is the over-extraction of groundwater. This resource, essential for drinking and agriculture, cannot replenish itself on a human timescale. Researchers point out that places like California, where groundwater depletion is rampant, are particularly at risk. The depletion of these underground reserves, which have been exploited at unsustainable rates, is having cascading effects. 

The report emphasizes that continued overpumping is undermining not only regional water security but also global food security. As a result, better management of groundwater resources is more urgent than ever. “Groundwater is an intergenerational resource that is being poorly managed,” the researchers warned.

The Climate Change Connection

The satellite data also reveals that the effects of climate change have exacerbated the problem, especially in terms of prolonged droughts and extreme weather events. The GRACE satellites tracked these changes closely, showing that the most significant acceleration in water loss occurred in 2014. This was due to a powerful El Niño event that disrupted global weather patterns, pushing temperatures higher and causing prolonged droughts in various regions, including Africa.

The intense El Niño, which lasted until 2016, is believed to have amplified the drying effects in these vulnerable regions, creating record-breaking surface temperatures around the globe. Although La Niña events usually offer a temporary cooling effect, they have not been enough to reverse the trend of ongoing water loss.

Researchers note that, even in areas that once showed signs of increased wetness, the data now shows a disturbing trend: “even areas that previously showed tendencies to increased wetness are now getting drier or at least not getting wetter at the previously detected pace.”