{"id":3033,"date":"2026-10-23T00:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/?post_type=briefing&p=3033"},"modified":"2026-10-23T00:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:57:01","slug":"2026-10-23-colorado-groundwater-en","status":"publish","type":"briefing","link":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/briefing\/2026-10-23-colorado-groundwater-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado River study finds the snow-fed upper basin was vulnerable to groundwater loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-10-23 00:55:12 KST<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Colorado River Basin study estimates greater groundwater losses upstream than downstream during water years 2020\u20132022.<\/p>\n

These are regional totals calculated from satellite and hydrological data, not evidence that every upstream well fell further.<\/p>\n

Greater recharge did not guarantee resilience<\/h2>\n

The study appeared in Water Resources Research on October 13; Live Science revisited it on October 22 with an author email interview. Researchers combined satellite gravity and hydrological data for water years 2004\u20132023. The upper basin\u2019s snowfall and precipitation did not prevent substantial losses during the severe drought. A water year runs from October 1 of the preceding calendar year through September 30.<\/p>\n

Read the uncertainty alongside the comparison<\/h2>\n

Estimated groundwater losses during water years 2020\u20132022 were 17.5\u00b13.5 km\u00b3 upstream and 9.4\u00b16.5 km\u00b3 downstream. The central estimates differ by about 1.9 times, but their uncertainties matter. These are total volumes for differently sized basins, not losses per unit area or rankings of individual communities. Satellites do not isolate groundwater directly; other storage components must be estimated and separated.<\/p>\n

\"Colorado
AI-generated explanatory illustration, not an actual site, warehouse, exhibited artwork or observation photograph; architecture, water levels and orbits are not reproduced to scale.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why 58.3 km\u00b3 is not the groundwater total<\/h2>\n

The paper reports a 58.3\u00b14.5 km\u00b3 decline in total water storage over water years 2004\u20132023. Groundwater loss for that period is separately reported as 25.5\u00b16.0 km\u00b3. Live Science\u2019s description of 58.3 km\u00b3 as groundwater does not match that distinction and is not adopted here. Combining soil, snow, surface water and groundwater into the wrong category changes the story.<\/p>\n

What remains unresolved<\/h2>\n

Surface-water shortages and groundwater losses were more closely linked upstream; parts of the lower basin showed weaker coupling. The author interview points to both snowmelt recharge and sustained extraction. Statistical links do not determine each cause\u2019s contribution or predict the same ratio in the next drought. Further satellite, well and pumping records are needed. The interview is separate reporting, not an independent replication experiment.<\/p>\n

Primary sources and independent checks<\/h2>\n

Original paper: satellite\/hydrological data, water years, estimates and uncertainty; web-tool text preserved after direct HTTP 403: Oyedele et al. \u00b7 Water Resources Research \u00b7 2026-10-13<\/a><\/p>\n

Independent reporting: author email on recharge and limits, not replication; the 58.3 km\u00b3 category is corrected against the paper: Live Science \u00b7 2026-10-22<\/a><\/p>\n

Read in other languages<\/h2>\n

\ud55c\uad6d\uc5b4<\/a> \u00b7 English<\/a> \u00b7 Espa\u00f1ol<\/a> \u00b7 \u65e5\u672c\u8a9e<\/a> \u00b7 Ti\u1ebfng Vi\u1ec7t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Estimated losses in water years 2020\u20132022 were 17.5 km\u00b3 upstream and 9.4 km\u00b3 downstream. Uncertainty and water-storage categories matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"class_list":["post-3033","briefing","type-briefing","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing\/3033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/briefing"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}