Scientists have uncovered a massive, 20,000-year-old freshwater reservoir beneath the Atlantic Ocean, reports Live Science.
The aquifer, stretching from New Jersey to Maine, could hold enough water to supply New York City for 800 years, according to the report.
"It was quite the project and sort of a lifelong dream," Brandon Dugan, co-chief scientist of the expedition and professor of geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines, told LiveScience.
Researchers with Expedition 501 drilled more than 700 cores at three locations between May and August 2025, reaching depths of up to 1,800 feet below the seafloor.
The team discovered a vast freshwater reservoir beneath the seafloor that is trapped under thick layers of marine sediment. Early findings suggest it was created as glaciers retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum, when massive ice sheets blanketed much of North America.
"In a very peculiar way, they found fresh water in the sediment beneath the ocean," Dugan explained. "In the 1980s, some of the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) people came up with ideas of how that fresh water could get there. Then it went quiet for a while, no one was talking about it."
Scientists are studying the reservoir in finer detail. The large aquifer could provide vital resources for a "thirsty world" facing future water shortages.
"Our goal is to provide an understanding of the system so if and when somebody needs to use it, they have information to start from, rather than recreating information or making an ill-informed choice," he said.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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