# NASA-Backed Study Finds 40 Global Regions With Human-Driven Water Changes

> A new NASA-backed study, published September 14, 2026, identified 40 global regions where human activities are significantly influencing terrestrial water storage, using over two decades of satellite data.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-23T01:32:47.171053Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/nasa-backed-study-finds-40-global-regions-with-human-driven-water-changes-bf3f937f

A NASA-backed study, published September 14, 2026, identified 40 global regions where human activities are significantly influencing terrestrial water storage, using over two decades of satellite data from space missions [1][3][7][10]. This research offers a refined understanding of humanity's role in Earth's water cycle, providing specific data that can inform water management worldwide [3][6][12].

## What the records show
The study, co-authored by Mary Michael O'Neill, Matthew Rodell, and Bryant D. Loomis, appeared online in the *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* (PNAS) [1][7]. It analyzed data from April 2002 to November 2025, gathered by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) missions [1][2][8]. Researchers employed advanced data processing techniques that achieved a spatial resolution five to ten times finer than previous analyses [1][5][10]. This enhanced resolution allowed for a more detailed picture of water changes across continents [5][10]. The findings indicate that human activities, such as groundwater depletion for agriculture and reservoir impoundment, are dominant influences on terrestrial water storage trends in many of these identified regions [3][6][7][12].

## The timeline
Data for this research spanned from April 2002 to November 2025, covering more than two decades of satellite observations [1][2][8]. The study's findings were formally received for publication on January 15, 2026, and accepted on July 13, 2026 [1]. It was published online in PNAS on September 14, 2026 [1][10]. NASA Earth Observatory subsequently highlighted the study on October 20, 2026 [3][8].

## What changed and for whom
The enhanced resolution of this study allowed scientists to pinpoint specific human impacts on water resources more clearly [1][5][12]. Groundwater depletion linked to agriculture was particularly severe in areas like northern India and California's Central Valley [4][7][9][11][12]. In northern India, groundwater pumping accounts for a significant portion of water loss, with retreating Himalayan glaciers contributing only 15 percent of the decline [11]. Beyond groundwater extraction, other human activities identified include irrigation, reservoir impoundment, and land-use change [3][7][8]. The research noted that human water use is a significant driver of storage changes on every nonpolar continent except Australia [3][13]. Groundwater declines in areas like northern India and California's Central Valley were steeper than detected in coarser analyses [11].

## What the subject has said publicly
NASA Earth Observatory, highlighting the study on October 20, 2026, stated that human activities have become "intertwined with how water is distributed across the continents" [3][8]. Dr. Felix Landerer, GRACE-FO deputy project scientist, commented on the importance of GRACE and GRACE-FO data for detecting how much water is pumped from deep below, providing "data to support water management and to determine if pumping rates might be unsustainable" [4].

## What we could not confirm
We could not confirm the specific details or names of any government or private sector entities responsible for agricultural groundwater depletion or reservoir impoundment in the identified regions. We could also not confirm the exact quantities of water lost or gained due to human activity in all 40 regions, beyond general trends.

## Evidence cited
1. Uncovering finer-scale anthropogenic signals in global terrestrial water storage trends - PNAS (pnas.org) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFHDGe9Q7MvRiNFH__jNl5gvaqv3VdI3mJea_8btZLJZApk4S5wZ4qBrWBJmO9qqvhrXwdYIreIMWtGpYI_jDoNzZQKT8644lKwta775n-Xvy-rxgAEVtOsU61gsCy4ydgR6RqcWZXQMaDwHw==
2. Uncovering finer-scale anthropogenic signals in global terrestrial water storage trends - ResearchGate (researchgate.net) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEQKU4JVTipLZpCeuiCxIuMcT0GJxBrS1v1kCFNcAEusnjxmxz2vGY8SbXKj42snQexqdX-593MLHDeXibC9Pm-A6XbwaSyqJXHGSMBfCxFiIhFCfO6RL1jmoLBpsE0q6oqJqeM77dre49WlF2J6wsaXrzKQa-SHdrE7v2pqMzqqSYdq0SteW4WVNUC36Wvu61M434fSKi1Pjhphaj9WNJ83cwh1_QnEOowVUd-WtnUttfpvPNs_X-OMeGII6rC7sf1NuAqe4fOwPkq8I3SLgUWmLkiZw==
3. Where Humans Are Driving Water Losses and Gains - NASA Earth Observatory (nasa.gov) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGvz7lsj2wXqYU-xVPlQDxWaEANY7Hezow3QdzMXcr_bQqIKmbEZSw5Nl6BjnG0G4v3TpUHn_EWYETIz3oajh6WfnO3TznPYhamqKyqTZeiPX5WshN7--jNlXcy_1zxvs7porCS7uUrm7RmIUXtHL0tke7-UL0YVpqK3JlDNGcDJwnPY4NdZKbOZJv6hKtY3qsT8jgWMEKqUw==
4. Water Storage | Science – GRACE-FO (nasa.gov) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQH8k1ExjFUzAylqcRsJTGdyTbEWGBQCXr38x039JSOOPGFLRlGMxdsv3RkGAQ95-w8IaSdwBDgwKcnmsLmXwUDF_wPJSO3nupcQGqyplDiZw9oqHDjJool_Mo6vK9JpI2Gi7zpPeWEENt-p_eNPgg==
5. Uncovering finer-scale anthropogenic signals in global terrestrial water storage trends - PNAS (pnas.org) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEfpa_BeCYZB7-4CmOceZWKxqZ-JsDrkofSyKEI3zeWIpS1dNQa2gDp1NVM10-950sUrNz9RU6J6o2WhRl7xFSBBgSt1iS1XrK2mIwqMtxWrrPvrRtXyqihA2FdehSYKizLLqOYq-m-ln8x61IE_3z4JVvZ3Z8jQzSfR6UykA==
6. Uncovering finer-scale anthropogenic signals in global terrestrial water storage trends - ResearchGate (researchgate.net) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQE-a4hjxO7-T-4MizglGWJndEomx65a7NwXiuqn58VccDtrIVQCZZUVv4t0uWBuTS_CS8ml9tmYPOTZSlMZnnNhIYh2LlDHwcp5z8L9EI3oghyfZqTfB1UJ9L_F6BFwBIDS7byRRiwmyWwkpD5ddLCj_dtQ33A_CEA2CjGlIfWnofgBNG65k0zPKWt6lClyqqC3oCGnFKAUl5Rl9fEY8PEiI0EA8Zoaa8dsFy9E-ajPMTW3MQgvWa5f6ht4ALO6-V7wB1kL8nr7_TSYw8zCBvoRuIdWnvFTIdzn_q2-OCShLGdKPqd7
7. Spatially refined satellite gravimetry captures human signatures in global terrestrial water storage trends (pnas.org) — https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2600775123
8. Where Humans Are Driving Water Losses and Gains - NASA Earth Observatory (nasa.gov) — https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/153724/where-humans-are-driving-water-losses-and-gains
9. Water Storage | Science – GRACE-FO (nasa.gov) — https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov/science/water-storage/
10. A study of NASA's GRACE and GRACE-FO data identifies 40 regions with human-linked water-storage trends (neoteo.com) — https://www.neoteo.com/nasa-grace-grace-fo-data-water-storage-trends-40-regions-14-10-2026/
11. NASA GRACE study uncovers hidden human impacts on global water storage (bedrocknews.com) — https://bedrocknews.com/2026/10/20/nasa-grace-study-uncovers-hidden-human-impacts-on-global-water-storage/
12. NASA Study Reveals Human Impacts on Earth's Water Storage (thecharlottetribune.com) — https://www.thecharlottetribune.com/2026/10/20/nasa-study-reveals-human-impacts-on-earths-water-storage/
13. Earth is losing fresh water 45% faster than thought due to human activity, new high-res NASA map reveals (livescience.com) — https://www.livescience.com/earth/climate-change/earth-losing-fresh-water-45-faster-than-thought-due-to-human-activity-new-high-res-nasa-map-reveals