According to most climate predictions, as the Earth warms, dry regions will get drier, and wet regions will get wetter. Looking at dry regions, like the Middle East, this poses many significant problems, such as how to manage limited fresh water resources so they do not run out, and so they are not overused by any one country.
A pair of satellites that are very sensitive to the Earth's gravity has proven capable of measuring the amount of water contained in underground aquifers. This satellite technology is known as Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment, or GRACE. For a very clear concise summary of the issues which can addressed with this technology, see Andrew Revkin's Dot Earth blog post.
Obviously, fair and conservative utilization of fresh water resources will play a significant role in stability in the Middle East.
A pair of satellites that are very sensitive to the Earth's gravity has proven capable of measuring the amount of water contained in underground aquifers. This satellite technology is known as Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment, or GRACE. For a very clear concise summary of the issues which can addressed with this technology, see Andrew Revkin's Dot Earth blog post.
Obviously, fair and conservative utilization of fresh water resources will play a significant role in stability in the Middle East.
