By Abbas Nazil
A NASA-led study has raised an alarm over agricultural and other human activities threatening ecosystems, water availability, and human livelihoods across the globe.
The recent study has revealed significant and concerning changes in Earth’s water cycle, as extreme weather events become more frequent due primarily to such human activities and compounded by climate change.
According to the study, the water cycle, crucial for replenishing rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers through precipitation, ensures the continuous supply of fresh water essential for drinking, food production, and ecosystems.
However, the findings, published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underscore that human interference is altering this delicate balance more drastically than previously believed.
The study highlights three major changes in the global water cycle: decreasing groundwater levels, shifts in seasonality—such as earlier snowmelt or growing seasons—and an increase in extreme events like catastrophic floods that were historically rare.
Such disruptions not only endanger natural ecosystems but also threaten water resources vital for drinking, irrigation, and industrial use.
Sujay Kumar, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and co-author of the paper, explained that data assimilation techniques confirmed the significant role of human interventions in amplifying these changes.
The research relied on nearly two decades of satellite observations from 2003 to 2020, using data from NASA’s advanced remote sensing technologies to analyze continental water storage and fluxes globally.
The lead author of the study, Wanshu Nie, emphasized the urgency of integrating these findings into Earth system models to better simulate the future global water cycle.
She expressed hope that the research would serve as a critical resource for improving water resource management and planning, especially in regions most vulnerable to these changes.
Co-author Augusto Getirana added that the satellite-derived data provided unprecedented precision in modeling water storage and movement across the planet.
The results highlight the importance of adapting scientific tools to account for the growing impact of human activities on natural systems.
As climate change accelerates, the implications of these shifts extend beyond environmental consequences, potentially leading to water scarcity, food insecurity, and economic challenges.
Addressing these issues will require coordinated global efforts to manage water resources sustainably and mitigate the effects of human-induced climate change.
This study serves as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of human actions and environmental systems, reinforcing the need for urgent measures to protect Earth’s fragile water cycle.