The Dead Sea, rivers in California and the Aral Sea areshrinking issaid to be shrinking due to water usage, e.g. for agriculture. Yet the water must gosomewhere.

After the fields are irrigated, the water either soaks into the ground or evaporates. In the first case, the groundwater is replenished. In the second case, the water ends up as rain, presumably within a few hundred kilometers of the evaporation point. Either way, the water gets back in circulation.

So what is happening here? How can water be "used up"?

The Dead Sea, rivers in California and the Aral Sea are said to be shrinking due to water usage, e.g. for agriculture. Yet the water must gosomewhere.

After the fields are irrigated, the water either soaks into the ground or evaporates. In the first case, the groundwater is replenished. In the second case, the water ends up as rain, presumably within a few hundred kilometers of the evaporation point. Either way, the water gets back in circulation.

So what is happening here? How can water be "used up"?

The Dead Sea, rivers in California and the Seaof Azov areshrinking is said to be shrinking due to water usage, e.g. for agriculture. Yet the water must gosomewhere.

After the fields are irrigated, the water either soaks into the ground or evaporates. In the first case, the groundwater is replenished. In the second case, the water ends up as rain, presumably within a few hundred kilometers of the evaporation point. Either way, the water gets back in circulation.

So what is happening here? How can water be "used up"?

The Dead Sea, rivers in California and theAralSeaareshrinking is said to be shrinking due to water usage, e.g. for agriculture. Yet the water must gosomewhere.

After the fields are irrigated, the water either soaks into the ground or evaporates. In the first case, the groundwater is replenished. In the second case, the water ends up as rain, presumably within a few hundred kilometers of the evaporation point. Either way, the water gets back in circulation.

So what is happening here? How can water be "used up"?