Using satellite data, UC Irvine and NASA hydrologists have found that groundwater beneath northern India has been receding by as much as 1 foot per year over the past decade - and they believe human consumption is almost entirely to blame.

More than 109 cubic kilometers (26 cubic miles) of groundwater disappeared from the region's aquifers between 2002 and 2008 - double the capacity of India's largest surface-water reservoir, the Upper Wainganga, and triple that of Lake Mead, the largest manmade reservoir in the U.S.

More than 1 billion people worldwide have unreliable access to clean water. To raise awareness of this and other water issues, UC Irvine is hosting a two-day public event featuring free movies and a panel discussion with local water experts.

On Oct. 2, "Chinatown" will be shown at 8 p.m. on a giant inflatable screen in Aldrich Park. Screenings of "Flow" and "Riverglass" will begin at 11 a.m. Oct. 3 in the Student Center's Crystal Cove Auditorium. After a complimentary lunch, the panel discussion gets under way at 1:30 p.m.

New space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers for California’s primary agricultural region – the Central Valley – and its major mountain water source – the Sierra Nevada – have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir. The findings, based on satellite data, reflect California’s extended drought and increased pumping of groundwater for human uses such as irrigation.

It may have been a rainy winter, but there's still cause for concern about California's water supply. Just ask Jay Famiglietti, UC Irvine Earth system science professor and founding director of the new UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, which aims to help the state tackle its drought-induced water crisis.