{"id":20063968,"date":"2021-01-26T17:38:45","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T12:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=63968"},"modified":"2021-02-15T16:50:47","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T11:20:47","slug":"water-levels-in-himalayan-river-basins-drop-as-world-warms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/climate\/water-levels-in-himalayan-river-basins-drop-as-world-warms\/","title":{"rendered":"Water levels in Himalayan river basins drop as world warms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the world warms, less water is replenishing major river basins, a new study<\/a> has found. This could impact water availability, with big implications for future water security. The river basins of the Himalayas are among those experiencing the largest changes, the research<\/a> reveals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water availability depends on how much water is stored on the surface or underground in lakes, rivers and groundwater, including soil moisture, snow and ice. The movement of water into these catchment areas is called \u2018water recharge\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But rising temperatures mean more water is being lost through evaporation and absorbed by plants. At the same time, less water is entering river basins from rain and snowfall as weather patterns change. The result is lower levels of water in the basins, a trend which is expected to continue with the growing impact of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The researchers from the Indian Institute of Science and the University of New South Wales in Australia studied 31 river basins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They calculated that the replenishment of the Irrawaddy basin fell by 39% with each degree rise in temperature, the Indus by 24%, Mekong by 15% and Ganga-Brahmaputra by 14%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n