Local flow regulation and irrigation raise global human water consumption and footprint

Fernando Jaramillo; Georgia Destouni

doi:10.1126/science.aad1010

Local flow regulation and irrigation raise global human water consumption and footprint

Science. 2015 Dec 4;350(6265):1248-51. doi: 10.1126/science.aad1010.

Authors

Fernando Jaramillo¹, Georgia Destouni²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Geography and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden. fernando.jaramillo@natgeo.su.se.
² Department of Physical Geography and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.

PMID: 26785489
DOI: 10.1126/science.aad1010

Abstract

Flow regulation and irrigation alter local freshwater conditions, but their global effects are highly uncertain. We investigated these global effects from 1901 to 2008, using hydroclimatic observations in 100 large hydrological basins. Globally, we find consistent and dominant effects of increasing relative evapotranspiration from both activities, and decreasing temporal runoff variability from flow regulation. The evapotranspiration effect increases the long-term average human consumption of fresh water by 3563 ± 979 km(3)/year from 1901-1954 to 1955-2008. This increase raises a recent estimate of the current global water footprint of humanity by around 18%, to 10,688 ± 979 km(3)/year. The results highlight the global impact of local water-use activities and call for their relevant account in Earth system modeling.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Agricultural Irrigation*
Climate Change
Drinking*
Fresh Water*
Humans
Plant Transpiration
Water Supply / standards*