In a quietly unfolding climate story, scientists have discovered that large parts of South Africa are slowly rising — not from deep tectonic activity, as once thought, but because of the continent’s deepening drought.
New research led by the University of Bonn reveals that the land’s gradual uplift. The uplift which is up to two millimetres per year in some regions is driven largely by water loss. As groundwater, rivers, and soil moisture are depleted, the Earth’s crust responds by rebounding ever so slightly, like a sponge regaining shape after being squeezed.
Using satellite data and an extensive network of GPS monitoring stations known as TrigNet, the research team found that drought-stricken provinces like the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo have experienced the most pronounced uplift. This is closely tied to events like Cape Town’s “Day Zero” crisis and the depletion of key reservoirs in and around Johannesburg.
The findings mark a shift in how scientists monitor drought. Traditional methods focus on rainfall and vegetation. But this study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, shows that precise land movement can serve as a silent but accurate indicator of underground water loss.
“The GNSS network in South Africa has the potential to estimate the impact of drought on water resources,” the researchers noted. And with climate change expected to intensify water stress across the continent, the ability to track these hidden shifts has never been more urgent.
GNSS-based monitoring, which requires no new infrastructure, could become a vital tool in national water planning. It offers a low-cost, data-rich method for understanding how climate extremes are reshaping the ground beneath our feet, and the future above it.
