Special Seminar by Jay Famiglietti, HAS Alum (MS '86), Global Futures Professor, Arizona State University: Groundwater depletion as viewed from space and implications for the western United States

This seminar is part of the Environmental Sciences weekly seminar series and is being co-hosted by the Arizona Institute for Resilience, Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions, and the Water Resources Research Center. The talk will be presented in person at the Marley Building, Room 230, and on Zoom (Password: 533716). 

If you, your research group, or a group of faculty would like to meet with Jay, please contact Kathy Jacobs at jacobsk@arizona.edu. Jay may have availability to meet with you on Mon (Jan 29) or Tue (Jan 30).

Abstract

In this talk, over two decades of observations from NASA’s GRACE and GRACE Follow-On missions are used to show how global and regional freshwater availability are rapidly changing. Of particular concern is the disappearance of groundwater around the world. Recent GRACE/FO-based estimates of large-scale groundwater depletion, e.g. in Arizona and California, where groundwater losses appear to be accelerating, will be presented. The case for the need to elevate the groundwater discussion, both regionally and globally, will be made, with examples provided. Opportunities to collaborate within the ASU/Arizona Water Innovation Initiative will be discussed.

Bio

Jay Famiglietti (UArizona HAS MS, 1986) is a hydrologist, a Global Futures Professor at Arizona State University, and Chief Scientist of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative. He is Executive Director Emeritus of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan, where he held the Canada 150 Research Chair in Hydrology and Remote Sensing. 

Jay Famiglietti: Email | Website | Google Scholar