Journal article
Wetting and drying trends in the land-atmosphere reservoir of large basins around the world
Hydrology and earth system sciences, Vol.28(13), pp.2919-2947
07/04/2024
DOI: 10.5194/hess-28-2919-2024
Abstract
Global change is altering hydrologic regimes worldwide, including large basins that play a central role in the sustainability of human societies and ecosystems. The basin water budget is a fundamental framework for understanding these basins' sensitivity and future dynamics under changing forcings. In this budget, studies often treat atmospheric processes as external to the basin and assume that atmosphere-related water storage changes are negligible in the long term. These assumptions are potentially misleading in large basins with strong land-atmosphere feedbacks, including terrestrial moisture recycling, which is critical for global water distribution. Here, we introduce the land-atmosphere reservoir (LAR) concept, which includes atmospheric processes as a critical component of the basin water budget and use it to study long-term changes in the water storage of some of the world's largest basins. Our results show significant LAR water storage trends over the last 4 decades, with a marked latitudinal contrast: while low-latitude basins have accumulated water, high-latitude basins have been drying. If they continue, these trends will disrupt the discharge regime and compromise the sustainability of these basins, resulting in widespread impacts.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Wetting and drying trends in the land-atmosphere reservoir of large basins around the world
- Creators
- Juan F. Salazar - Universidad de AntioquiaRuben D. Molina - Universidad de AntioquiaJorge Zuluaga - Universidad de AntioquiaJesus D. Gomez-Velez - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Hydrology and earth system sciences, Vol.28(13), pp.2919-2947
- DOI
- 10.5194/hess-28-2919-2024
- ISSN
- 1027-5606
- eISSN
- 1607-7938
- Publisher
- Copernicus Gesellschaft Mbh
- Number of pages
- 29
- Grant note
- 1115-852-70719 / Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion (MINCIENCIAS) EAR-1830172; OIA-2020814; OIA-2312326 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF) US Department of Energy; United States Department of Energy (DOE)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/04/2024
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984962533602771
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