Jay Famiglietti

Professor Famiglietti’s research has helped transform the understanding of global freshwater systems through the use of satellite observations, particularly in tracking groundwater depletion and changes in terrestrial water storage at continental to global scales. His work has been central in identifying widespread groundwater decline and in advancing methods that allow freshwater changes to be observed from space.

The inaugural lecture, titled “The Emergence of Groundwater as the Most Valuable Natural Resource of the 21st Century”, will explore the accelerating depletion of groundwater resources across the world’s major aquifers and thousands of smaller systems. It will highlight how groundwater, despite being the largest reservoir of the planet’s unfrozen freshwater, remains among the least protected components of the Earth system. The lecture will present the latest satellite-based evidence of global freshwater change and examine the development of large-scale “mega-drying” regions where groundwater will increasingly shape future water availability. It will also address the broader implications of these trends, from climate-driven hydrological change to biodiversity loss and water insecurity, and argue for a stronger global effort to elevate groundwater within scientific, policy, and public climate dialogues.