NASA scientists have released an important paper showing how the global water cycle is changing in significant ways due to human activities, notably agriculture. These changes could affect ecosystems and water management practices in various regions around the world.
Sujay Kumar, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, highlighted that human influence on the water cycle is more impactful than previously understood. This understanding is crucial because it challenges assumptions about how the water cycle behaves.
Water management strategies often depend on the idea that the water cycle operates within a stable range. Wanshu Nie, the lead author of the study, warns that this may no longer be true for many areas. She hopes this research will help improve how we manage and assess water resources, especially in regions experiencing the most significant changes.
For instance, North China is facing a severe drought, yet many crops continue to thrive. This is largely due to farmers pumping more water from underground sources. Such human activities can complicate other aspects of the water cycle, like evaporation and flow into rivers.
The researchers identified three major types of changes in the water cycle: trends (like declining groundwater levels), shifts in seasonality (such as earlier growing seasons), and changes in extreme weather events (like more frequent severe floods).
To gather data, the team used satellite information from several NASA missions between 2003 and 2020. This included data on precipitation, soil moisture, and terrestrial water storage. They also looked at vegetation health through satellite imagery.
Augusto Getirana, another researcher, noted that this study represents years of effort in satellite data analysis, enabling better simulations of water movement and storage globally.
The findings suggest that models predicting the future of the global water cycle need to incorporate human impacts. With enhanced data and updated models, water managers can better understand and prepare for their local water situations in this changing world.
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Earth, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), Goddard Space Flight Center, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Water & Energy Cycle
