A little more than half, 53 percent, of all the Earth’s lakes and water reservoirs are shrinking. It shows a new one study.
With the help of satellite images, researchers have followed 1,972 of the world’s largest lakes and water reservoirs during 28 years. The amount of water is decreasing at a rate of 22 billion cubic meters per year.
– Our research also shows that the lake water losses also occur in the humid regions, which indicates that the drought is more extensive than previously thought, says Fangfang Yao.
The decrease in the lakes is largely explained by climate change and human water consumption. Increased temperatures increase evaporation, but also reduce the amount of precipitation.
Play the video to see how lakes and water reservoirs are shrinking around the world.