In a warm climate, not only do Earth’s lakes become more algae and warm waters run out of oxygen, but they also evaporate much faster than previously thought. According to a recent study, in addition to an increase in solar radiation, clouds are also changing and making the sky thirstier than ever. In addition, due to the melting of glaciers and ice fields, fresh water surfaces increased and the water cycle became faster and faster.
About five million square kilometers of the Earth’s surface are covered with natural or artificial lakes, based on our current knowledge that there are 1.4 million lakes in number. And now researchers at Texas A&M University of satellite data from 1985 to 2018 They started calculating Monthly water loss rate and evaporation rate.
They found that the sky absorbs 1,500 cubic kilometers of water each year, 15 percent (more than three billion liters) more than previously expected. It has also been proven that artificial lakes and reservoirs evaporate more in proportion. While they store only five percent of fresh water, they produce 16 percent of all steam, more than the world’s domestic and industrial water use combined.
Evaporation data from the World Lakes Database has been released to the public, and researchers encourage water management decision makers and the scientific community to use this valuable information. This is the only way to better understand the role lakes, including artificial reservoirs, play in global weather patterns, floods, droughts and climate change.
(Cover Photo: Swimmers and surfers standing at Lake Balaton near Fonyód on Alsóbéletep Beach on June 28, 2022 at sunset. Photo: György Varga/MTI)