Securing the world's water supply is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Research at Stockholm University is now presenting an alternative method for quantifying the global risk of water scarcity.
Securing the world's water supply is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Research at Stockholm University is now presenting an alternative method for quantifying the global risk of water scarcity. Results indicate higher risks to water supply than previously expected if accounting for the environmental conditions and governability where rain is produced.
The common idea of global water supply is rain falling on the earth's surface and then stored in aquifers, lakes, and rivers. This idea is usually used to assess water security and the risk of water scarcity. However, a new study published in Nature Water shows how the water risks are dependent on governance and environmental conditions present upwind, which means the areas where the moisture for rain comes from.
“Water supply really originates beforehand, with moisture evaporated from land or in the ocean traveling in the atmosphere before falling as rain. This upwind moisture is commonly overlooked when assessing water availability,” says Fernando Jaramillo, associate professor in physical geography at Stockholm University and responsible for the study.
Read more at Stockholm University
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