Local flow regulation and irrigation raise global human water consumption and footprint

Science
Fernando Jaramillo, Georgia Destouni

Abstract

Flow regulation and irrigation alter local freshwater conditions, but their global effects are highly uncertain. We investigated these global effects from 1901 to 2008, using hydroclimatic observations in 100 large hydrological basins. Globally, we find consistent and dominant effects of increasing relative evapotranspiration from both activities, and decreasing temporal runoff variability from flow regulation. The evapotranspiration effect increases the long-term average human consumption of fresh water by 3563 ± 979 km(3)/year from 1901-1954 to 1955-2008. This increase raises a recent estimate of the current global water footprint of humanity by around 18%, to 10,688 ± 979 km(3)/year. The results highlight the global impact of local water-use activities and call for their relevant account in Earth system modeling.

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Citations

May 18, 2018·Nature·M RodellM-H Lo
Feb 11, 2020·Ambio·James S AlbertWilliam J Ripple
Jan 30, 2018·Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research·Qixin Wu, Guilin Han
Mar 17, 2017·Ambio·Simon Damkjaer, Richard Taylor
Sep 8, 2018·Nature Communications·René Orth, Georgia Destouni
May 6, 2020·Scientific Reports·Davood Moshir PanahiGeorgia Destouni
Jan 10, 2019·Ambio·Philippe RufinPatrick Hostert
Oct 5, 2019·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Yan MaGeorgia Destouni
Jul 26, 2017·Scientific Reports·Ali MehranJakin K Ravalico
Jul 6, 2019·Scientific Reports·Yaping WangYanxu Liu
Nov 15, 2018·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Hongwei Lu, Sen Yu
Jul 1, 2019·Earth's Future·Luigi PiemonteseFernando Jaramillo
Dec 27, 2019·Water Security·Patrick W KeysLine J Gordon
Mar 10, 2021·Ambio·Giuliano Di BaldassarreMaria Rusca
Jul 6, 2021·Water Resources Research·Akash KoppaMekonnen Gebremichael
Jul 6, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Jianyu LiuXihui Gu

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