The Cambrian Limestone Aquifer is a large, interconnected limestone system containing high-quality groundwater that supports numerous NT rivers, towns, Indigenous communities, pastoral enterprises, and irrigated agriculture.

But the findings, published in a new study led by Griffith University researchers, show the aquifer has experienced significant water loss since 2014, reaching its lowest recorded storage level in 2021 – at the end of the study period.

The study draws on two decades of data (2002-2022), including ground-based bore monitoring from the Bureau of Meteorology and remote sensing from multiple satellites.

Among them, NASA’s GRACE satellite – used to track groundwater depletion globally – detects subtle changes in Earth’s gravity, indicating how much water has been lost underground.

This drying trend occurred despite fewer severe droughts during the 2011-2022 period than in the previous decade.