Impact of water withdrawals on continental water storage variations

What is it about?

Fractions of total water withdrawals from groundwater were estimated for the sectors irrigation, livestock, households, manufacturing and cooling of thermal power plants at a spatial resolution of 0.5° ×0.5°. Time-series of fast-surface and subsurface runoff, groundwater recharge and river discharge as well as storage variations of water in canopy, snow, soil, groundwater, lakes, wetlands and rivers as a function of climate, soil, land cover, relief and observed river discharge were simulated.

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Why is it important?

We have performed the first global-scale analysis of the impact of water withdrawals on water storage variations.