Amount of Water Storage is Declining in Lakes Around the World

The amount of water stored in half of the largest lakes and reservoirs around the world is declining due to human activity and climate change, according to new research. From a report: While lake water storage can naturally fluctuate in response to local precipitation, direct human activities, such as damming and water consumption, are increasingly affecting precious water resources, according to a study published Thursday in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Researchers combined global satellite measurements with climate and hydrologic models to detect trends in lake water storage for nearly 2,000 of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs from 1992 to 2020. The findings revealed 'widespread decline,' according to the study. About 53% of the water bodies studied were found to have experienced significant water losses over the last 28 years at a rate of roughly 22 gigatonnes, or 1 billion metric tons, per year, according to the study. The declining water storage could affect a quarter of the world's population, Fangfang Yao, a surface hydrologist who conducted the research with the University of Colorado Boulder, told ABC News. 'This trend is likely to continue if we do nothing about climate change or do not restrict human water consumption,' Yao said.

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