Over half of the world’s groundwater flows could take over 100 years to respond fully to climate change, new research has revealed.
Over half of the world’s groundwater flows could take over 100 years to respond fully to climate change, new research has revealed.
An international research team has, for the first time, provided a global insight into what will happen if our groundwater systems start to see changes in their replenishment.
An international research team has, for the first time, provided a global insight into what will happen if our groundwater systems start to see changes in their replenishment.
“Our research shows that groundwater systems take a lot longer to respond to climate change than surface water, with only half of the world’s groundwater flows responding fully within ‘human’ timescales of 100 years,” Dr Cuthbert says.
“This means that in many parts of the world, changes in groundwater flows due to climate change could have a very long legacy. This could be described as an environmental timebomb because any climate change impacts on recharge occurring now, will only fully impact the baseflow to rivers and wetlands a long time later.
Read more at UNSW Sydney
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