In a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers from The Ohio State University in the U.S. have announced the creation of a global map which shows where groundwater meets oceans.
About:
Scientists have created high-resolution maps of points around the globe where groundwater meets the oceans — the first such analysis of its kind that may help protect both drinking water and the seas.
Key findings of the map:
Nearly one-half of fresh submarine groundwater discharge flows into the ocean near the tropics.
Regions near active fault lines send greater volumes of groundwater into the ocean than regions that are tectonically stable.
Dry, arid regions have very little groundwater discharge, opening the limited groundwater supplies in those parts of the world to saltwater intrusion.
Significance:
The research work, the first near-global and spatially distributed high-resolution map of fresh groundwater flow to the coast, could give scientists better clues about where to monitor groundwater discharge.
It may help coastal communities better protect and manage their drinking water.
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