Europe's vast water reserves are being depleted, according to a new analysis based on two decades of satellite data, with freshwater supplies shrinking in southern and central Europe, from Spain and Italy to Poland and parts of the UK. This is reported by The Guardian, according to UNN.
Details
According to the publication, scientists from University College London, in cooperation with Watershed Investigations, analyzed satellite data from 2002-2024, which tracks changes in the Earth's gravitational field, and found that Europe's vast water reserves are being depleted, with freshwater supplies shrinking in southern and central Europe, from Spain and Italy to Poland and parts of the UK.
"The study results show a striking imbalance: northern and northwestern Europe, including Scandinavia, parts of the UK and Portugal, are becoming wetter, while large areas of the south and southeast, including parts of the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Romania and Ukraine, are drying out," the publication writes.
According to scientists, climate change can be seen in the data.
"When we compare the overall data on terrestrial water reserves with climate datasets, the trends generally correlate," scientists say.
This should be an "alarm bell" for politicians who are still skeptical about emission reductions.
"We are no longer talking about limiting warming to 1.5°C, we are likely moving towards a 2°C increase above pre-industrial levels, and we are now seeing the consequences. In general, it is getting wetter in the west, while it is getting drier in the east, and this signal is intensifying. Although the total amount of precipitation may be stable or even slightly increasing, the pattern is changing. We are seeing heavier downpours and longer droughts, especially in summer," scientists add.
Groundwater is considered more climate-resilient than surface water, but heavy summer rains often mean that more water is lost through runoff and flash floods, while the winter groundwater recharge season may be shortening.
England faces worst drought in decades next year - The Guardian09.11.25, 10:18 • [views_9890]