Emerging Trends in Global Freshwater Availability

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 557; no. 7707; pp. 651 - 659
• Main Authors: Rodell, M., Famiglietti, J. S., Wiese, D. N., Reager, J. T., Beaudoing, H. K., Landerer, Felix W., Lo, M.-H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Goddard Space Flight Center Nature Research 01-05-2018; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 704/106/694/2786; 704/242; Analysis; Annual variations; China; Climate Change; Climate models; Climate variability; Climate variations; Earth Resources And Remote Sensing; Experiments; Food security; Food Supply; Fresh Water - analysis; Global temperature changes; GRACE (experiment); Gravity; Groundwater; Groundwater - analysis; Human Activities; Human influences; Human-environment relationship; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Interannual variability; Methods; Models, Theoretical; Motor vehicle drivers; multidisciplinary; Precipitation; Predictions; Remote sensing; Satellites; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sea level; Threat evaluation; Time series; Trends; Water; Water consumption; Water resource management; Water storage; Water Supply - statistics & numerical data; China; Antarctica; Greenland; Grace; China; Okavango Delta
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0123-1

Freshwater availability is changing worldwide. Here we quantify 34 trends in terrestrial water storage (TWS) observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites during 2002-2016 and categorize their drivers as natural interannual variability, unsustainable groundwater consumption, or climate change. Several of these trends had been lacking thorough investigation and attribution, including massive changes in northwestern China and the Okavango delta. Others are consistent with climate model predictions. This observation-based assessment of how the world's water landscape is responding to human impacts and climate variations provides a blueprint for evaluating and predicting emerging threats to water and food security.