More than half of the world's lakes are drying up. Every year, 22 billion tons of water are lost from reservoirs, according to the latest study published in the journal "Science". According to scientists, the climate crisis and overconsumption are to blame for this situation.The latest survey shows that 53% of of the world's large lakes has shrunk since the 1990s. Some of the world's most important freshwater sources lose an average of 22 billion tons of water each year. That's as much as the total water consumption in the US in 2015.
Researchers have analyzed climatic and hydrological data from the observation of almost 2,000 large lakes. In total, 250,000 people were tested. satellite photos from 1992-2020.
Lake Mead state 2001-2022. /NASA/
It turned out that water was declining even in humid regions that had not been threatened by drought so far.
The trend of drying lakes around the world is wider than previously thought. It shouldn't be overlooked, said lead author of the international study, Fangfang Yao of the University of Colorado at Boulder, in an interview with CNN.
The biggest cause of drying up lakes is harmful human activity. Scientists point out that overuse of water has led to the shrinking of bodies of water such as the Aral Sea in Central Asia and the Salton Sea in the US.
Drought exacerbated by climate change is threatening lakes in Afghanistan, Egypt and Mongolia. The same is true of Lake Mead in the southwestern United States. Global warming is also affecting the Caspian Sea, which lies between Asia and Europe. It is the world's largest inland body of water.
Scientists estimate that almost 2 billion people in the world are directly affected by water shortages.
The already difficult situation will be aggravated by progressive global warming. The latest report by the World Meteorological Organization shows that within 4 years of the year humanity may pass another tipping point related to climate change. According to scientists, there are 66 percent. the probability that the Earth's global temperature will increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2027 compared to pre-industrial times. This has far-reaching consequences for health, food security and water management around the world.
Lakes occupy 3 percent. surface of the Earth and are the source of 90% of fresh surface water.
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