Scientists Confirm Vast Freshwater Aquifer Beneath North Atlantic
Expedition 501, a $25 million international collaboration, extracted over 13,000 gallons from an undersea freshwater aquifer potentially meeting New York City's water needs for 800 years.
- A U.S. government ship discovered fresh water under the ocean nearly 50 years ago, leading to a global research expedition called Expedition 501, which drilled for water off Cape Cod and found a massive, hidden aquifer stretching from New Jersey to Maine.
- Expedition 501 extracted thousands of samples and will analyze nearly 50,000 liters of water to understand its origins, amid predictions by the U.N. that global fresh water demand will exceed supply by 40% within five years.
- The mission involved collaboration from more than a dozen countries and was backed by the U.S. government's National Science Foundation, with scientists believing the aquifer could meet the needs of a city like New York for 800 years.
- Brandon Dugan, co-chief scientist, emphasized the urgency of finding new water sources due to rising sea levels and increasing freshwater needs.
36 Articles
36 Articles

Scientists tap 'secret' fresh water under the ocean, raising hopes for a thirsty world
Scientists conducting a first-of-its-kind drilling operation have extracted samples of fresh water hiding in massive reservoirs deep under the ocean.
Scientists tap 'secret' fresh water aquifer under the ocean from Maine to New Jersey
ABOARD LIFTBOAT ROBERT, North Atlantic — Deep in Earth’s past, an icy landscape became a seascape as the ice melted and the oceans rose off what is now the northeastern United States. Nearly 50 years ago, a U.S. government ship searching for minerals and hydrocarbons in the area drilled into the seafloor to see what it could find. It found, of all things, drops to drink under the briny deeps — fresh water. This summer, a first-of-its-kind global…
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