Since 2002 the area of land experiencing terrestrial water storage loss has expanded by an area equivalent to twice the size of California each year. Four continental-scale mega-drying regions now span much of the northern hemisphere, including Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and large parts of Asia. Terrestrial water storage comprises ice, snow, surface water, canopy water, soil moisture, and groundwater. About 75 percent of the global population lives in countries losing freshwater. Continued TWS decline threatens famine, climate-driven migration, and political destabilization while accelerating impacts of ongoing climate change.
One of these mega regions spans Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and vast swaths of Asia. That should clue you in to the staggering scale of this phenomenon, which the scientists are calling terrestrial water storage (TWS) loss. Since 2002, the area of land experiencing water loss has been increasing by twice the size of California every year, according to the , published in the journal Science Advances.
The trend, if unmitigated, could lead to famine, trigger climate migrations, and destabilize entire countries, they warn. Terrestrial water storage isn't just lakes and other obvious sources of water. As the authors explain in the paper, it's the combined ice, snow, surface water, canopy water, soil moisture, and groundwater stored on land. Our continents are less a cup being emptied out and more a soggy sponge being squeezed.
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