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Map of Groundwater Storage Trends for Earth's 37 Largest Aquifers

A map of groundwater storage trends for Earth's 37 largest aquifers using GRACE data, showing depletion and replenishment in millimeters of water per year.

A map of groundwater storage trends for Earth's 37 largest aquifers using GRACE data, showing depletion and replenishment in millimeters of water per year. Twenty-one aquifers have exceeded sustainability tipping points and are being depleted, and 13 of these are considered significantly distressed, threatening regional water security and resilience.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

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A GRACE-FO satellite and its turntable fixture at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
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A GRACE-FO satellite and its turntable fixture at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
GRACE-FO Satellite on a Turntable Before Launch
GRACE-FO arriving at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, from Germany. 
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GRACE-FO arriving at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, from Germany.
GRACE-FO Arrives at Vandenberg
GRACE Rendering  
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GRACE Rendering
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The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launches from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
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The rocket carrying GRACE-FO blasts off from the launch pad.
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An artist's rendering of the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft.
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An artist's rendering of the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft in orbit around Earth.
GRACE-FO Rendering
Gravity anomaly map using GRACE data.
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Gravity anomaly map using GRACE data.
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Flames from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching GRACE-FO into orbit.
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A close-up of the flames from the rocket launching GRACE-FO.
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The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (view 1).  
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The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
GRACE-FO Satellites, Attached to Turntable Fixtures
Illustration of GRACE-FO above Antarctica.
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Illustration of GRACE-FO above Antarctica.
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The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. 
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The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (view 2).
GRACE-FO Satellites at Vandenberg
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The bright lights of the spacecraft are seen against the dark black of space.
GRACE-FO Satellites From Potsdam
The rocket carrying GRACE-FO lifts off into a blue sky, with the Pacific Ocean beneath it.
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The rocket carrying GRACE-FO lifts off into a blue sky, with the Pacific Ocean beneath it.
GRACE-FO Launch, Sky and Sea
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen with the NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft onboard at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 
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The SpaceX Falcon 9 that will carry GRACE-FO to orbit sits on the launchpad.
GRACE-FO in Falcon 9 on Launchpad
GRACE-FO in a protective shipping container arriving at a new facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.  
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GRACE-FO in a protective shipping container arriving at a new facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
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Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit (view 3).
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Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit over Earth.
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Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit (view 2).
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Twin spacecraft of GRACE-FO in orbit over Earth.
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GRACE-FO, a collaboration between NASA and German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on on May 22, 2018.
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A vertical image of the rocket launching in front of a blue sky.
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This image shows the mean annual amplitude of total water storage on Earth in 2007 as measured by GRACE.
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Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit (view 5).
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Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit over Earth.
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A long exposure of the  GRACE-FO launch from Vandenberg
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The rocket's blaze is seen across the sky in this long exposure view with the ocean in the foreground.
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The GRACE-FO satellites were assembled by Airbus Defence and Space in Germany. The photo shows one of the satellites in the testing facility of IABG, an Airbus subcontractor, in Munich (view 2). 
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The GRACE-FO satellites were assembled by Airbus Defence and Space in Germany. The photo shows one of the satellites in the testing facility of IABG, an Airbus subcontractor, in Munich (view 2).
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