The Water Online Show

The Water Online Show: What NASA Satellites Reveal About Earth's Shrinking Freshwater

Travis Kennedy

In this episode of In The Flow, hosts Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling delve into one of the most pressing issues facing water managers throughout the world: the shrinking supply of freshwater. While 71% of Earth is covered in water, only 3% is freshwater — and less than half of that is accessible to humans. New research, powered by NASA’s GRACE satellite mission, shows that dry regions are expanding at alarming rates, contributing not only to water scarcity for 75% of the world’s population but also to sea level rise. It’s a sobering picture, but one that sets the stage for an important discussion.