Fossil Water in Africa
Is water a renewable or nonrenewable resource? Like many questions in science, the answer is “it depends”. Surface water, in ideal conditions, is replenished through rainfall and the hydrologic cycle (although like we’ve seen in recent droughts—such as the one in California—this not always the case). Groundwater can be replenished this way too, however, some aquifers contain fossil water—very old water that is definitely a finite resource.