From NASA’s web page: “Since the 1920s, excessive pumping of groundwater in California’s San Joaquin Valley has caused land in sections of the valley to sink by as much as 28 feet (8.5 meters), a problem exacerbated during droughts, when farmers rely heavily on groundwater to sustain one of the most productive agricultural regions in the nation. But just how much sinking? Scientists at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory use their expertise in collecting and analyzing airborne and satellite radar data to help answer that question. Learn more:https://go.nasa.gov/2m64OVd.” Even though they have had a lot of rain this year, the depletion of groundwater in the last drought will cause problems for farmers down the road when the next drought hits, because it takes a long time for groundwater to recharge.
