Category: Hydrology

In 2024, Earth experienced its hottest year on record for the fourth consecutive time. Rising temperatures are drastically altering the water cycle, driving extreme weather events worldwide. The Global Water Monitor Report highlights the devastating consequences of these changes. Using data from ground stations and satellites, researchers revealed a significant increase in rainfall extremes. Record-high …

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Floods stand as the most prevalent natural calamity, inflicting approximately $50 billion in annual global financial damages and affecting nearly 1.5 billion people or 19% of the world’s population with significant flood event risks.

Beneath the Earth’s surface lies over a thousand times more water than all the rivers and lakes in the world. This groundwater makes up for almost all the freshwater on the planet. However, in many areas of the world, groundwater is being extracted faster than the rate that it naturally recharges. 

A team of researchers led by IGB scientist Sami Domisch, have developed the highest resolution map of the world’s river systems ever produced. The map provides a basis for the detailed study of what characterizes riverine habitats and how they are interconnected. The map is based on the “Hydrography90m” data set. 

Global freshwater storage and flows are constantly changing with oscillations and persistent trends driven by the combined influence of human activity, climate change, and natural variability on sub-seasonal to multi-decadal timescales.

Apart from the world’s oceans, groundwater is one of the largest stores of water on Earth. Although it might appear that the planet is covered in vast lakes and river systems, they make up only 0.01 per cent of the Earth’s water. In fact, there is 100 times as much groundwater on this planet as …

Continue reading “Massive groundwater reservoirs”