There's a new, very cool map of world groundwater resources (4.4 Mb PDF). I heartily loathe PDF's, but this is an interesting map. In addition to the main map there are four inset maps of mean annual precipitation, population density, mean annual river discharge and annual groundwater recharge per capita. Legend is in the lower right. News release-type of article at New Scientist.
As the article explains, this is a much more serious issue than most people realize. After air, there is no more important resource for sustaining life. Living in the western US, one cannot help but be aware of the role water has played in shaping the history of the area; even though the area I live is pretty well set regarding water, I only have to travel a couple of hours to get to some very dry climates. As I said yesterday, I do like my water.
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