PLEA Network

24 February 2022, The Conversation: Climate change is warping our fresh water cycle – and much faster than we thought. Fresh water cycles from ocean to air to clouds to rivers and back to the oceans. This constant shuttling can give us the illusion of certainty. Fresh water will always come from the tap. Won’t it? Unfortunately, that’s not guaranteed. Climate change is shifting where the water cycle deposits water on land, with drier areas becoming drier still, and wet areas becoming even wetter. Our research published today in Nature has found the water cycle is changing faster than we had thought, based on changes in our oceans. This concerning finding underlines the ever more pressing need to end the emissions of gases warming the atmosphere before the water cycle changes beyond recognition. If this sounds serious, it is. Our ability to harness fresh water makes possible modern society. The water cycle has already changed As the Earth warms up, the water cycle has begun to intensify in a “wet-gets-wetter-dry-gets-drier” pattern. This means more and more freshwater is leaving dry regions of the planet and ending up in wet regions. Read more here