With that simple, four-word sentence, a new academic study emphasizes the important links between surface water and groundwater storage in the West, and the need for the two forms of storage to complement each other in tackling chronic water shortages.

The study was published last month in the journal Environmental Research Letters and was led by geologists from the University of Texas, with participation from U.S. Geological Survey researchers from California and Arizona. It looked specifically at how to enhance drought resilience in those two states.