Water is a precious resource that is becoming increasingly scarce due to droughts and heat waves. New analyses of satellite data show a significant decline in water reserves across Europe. Even though water reserves in Germany recovered slightly in 2023, billions of metric tons of water are still missing.
According to a recent report by the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), Germany’s total water reserves continue to be severely depleted. Since measurements began in 2002, Europe has lost a total of about 100 billion metric tons of water.
The GFZ emphasizes that, despite its apparent abundance, water has already become a scarce and valuable resource in many regions of the world. Germany, too, has experienced extreme droughts over the past five years.
A team led by Eva Börgens and Christoph Dahle of the GFZ analyzed data from the “Grace-Follow-On” satellite duo, which monitors the global water balance using gravity field measurements. For Germany, the data show that the water reservoir has stabilized somewhat by 2023, but there is still a shortfall of about ten billion metric tons of water compared to long-term averages. By way of comparison, Lake Constance holds about 48 billion metric tons of water.
The terrestrial water reservoir, also known as TWS, consists of various components: glacial ice, snow, soil moisture, groundwater, and water in rivers, lakes, and artificial reservoirs.
According to the GFZ, the situation is particularly critical in Greenland and Antarctica. Every year, Greenland loses about 224 billion metric tons of ice, while Antarctica, although colder, still loses about 138 billion metric tons of ice annually.
Through the “globalwaterstorage.info” portal, the GFZ provides additional information, as well as animations and maps showing how water reserves have been steadily declining since 2002. An animated time series vividly illustrates the decline in Europe’s water reserves.