10 Freshwater Bodies Disappearing Globally, Captured by Satellite Imagery

The world is losing an estimated 324 trillion liters (85.6 trillion gallons) of freshwater each year, enough to meet the needs of 280 million people, according to a 2025 report by the World Bank. This persistent freshwater loss, termed 'continental desiccation,' is driven by increasing droughts and unsustainable land and water use.

The United Nations marks June 17 as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to raise awareness and promote restoration of degraded land. Below are 10 examples of shrinking lakes, rivers, and dams worldwide as seen in satellite imagery.

Parana River, Argentina

Stretching about 4,900 km, the Parana River is South America's second-longest (after the Amazon) and a vital trade route linking Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Satellite images from 1990 and 2026 show water levels at the port of Rosario dropping sharply due to prolonged drought, disrupting grain transport, reducing hydropower output at the Itaipu Dam, exposing wide riverbeds, and forming new islands.

Lake Poopó, Bolivia

At an altitude of 3,700 m, Lake Poopó was once Bolivia's second-largest lake, covering 1,000 km². Images from 1984 and 2020 show it has nearly disappeared entirely due to water diversion, drought, and warming, turning into a salt flat, destroying fisheries and the livelihoods of the indigenous Uru people.

Lake Ngami, Botswana

Located on the southwestern edge of the Okavango Delta, Lake Ngami fluctuates dramatically between wetland and near-dry conditions depending on flows from the Okavango system. A comparison of 1984 and 2020 images reveals its climate sensitivity: drought and flow variability caused the lake to nearly vanish at its lowest point, turning fishing grounds and grazing pastures into a cracked lakebed, before partially recovering.

Laguna de Aculeo, Chile

Near the capital Santiago, Laguna de Aculeo was once a popular tourist destination supporting local communities. Satellite images from 2007 and 2026 show the lagoon nearly dry due to prolonged drought and water stress.

Lake Urmia, Iran

Once the largest saltwater lake in the Middle East, covering nearly 6,000 km² in the 1990s, Lake Urmia now spans only about 581 km² (less than 10% of its original area). Successive droughts, agricultural water use, river diversions, and groundwater extraction have turned much of the lake into a barren salt flat, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

Al-Chibayish Marshes, Iraq

Part of the Mesopotamian wetlands, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Al-Chibayish Marshes in southern Iraq were once a critical ecosystem. A comparison of 1984 and 2020 images shows that drainage systems and drought caused widespread drying in the 1990s, but parts have recovered thanks to increased rainfall and recent restoration efforts.

Ambovombe, Madagascar

Ambovombe is a town in southern Madagascar, one of the most climate-stressed regions. Satellite images from 1985 and 2020 reveal a severe ecological crisis due to prolonged drought and rising temperatures. Intense red dust storms and rainfall deficits have degraded water resources and farmland, affecting subsistence agriculture and livestock, leading to loss and displacement.

Lake Faguibine, Mali

Near the Sahara's edge, Lake Faguibine in northern Mali has nearly vanished in recent decades. Once fed by floodwaters from the Niger River, satellite images from 1984 to 2020 show reduced floods, drought, and siltation have shrunk the lake significantly, leaving most of its bed dry and desertified.

Lake Mead, United States

Straddling the Nevada-Arizona border, Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S. by capacity, formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the 1930s, supplying water to millions in the southwestern U.S. and parts of Mexico. Comparisons of 1984 and 2020 images show the lake has shrunk dramatically due to prolonged drought, rising temperatures, and high water demand, exposing shorelines and formerly submerged lands.

Southern Aral Sea, Uzbekistan

The Southern Aral Sea in northwestern Uzbekistan is one of the worst man-made environmental disasters. Satellite images from 1984 and 2020 illustrate the lake's dramatic disappearance due to decades of river diversion for irrigation, shrinking by over 90% and leaving barren, exposed lakebeds.