SOUTH-EAST ASIA (dpa): Global warming has pushed the global water cycle into new climate extremes, including massive floods, tropical cyclones, flash floods and prolonged droughts, according to the latest edition of the annual Global Water Monitor published on Monday.
The report, produced under the leadership of the Australian National University by an international team of researchers, concludes that rising temperatures are altering the way water moves on the planet, "wreaking havoc" on the water cycle.
"Rising sea surface temperatures intensified tropical cyclones and droughts in the Amazon Basin and southern Africa. Global warming also contributed to heavier downpours and slower-moving storms, as evidenced by deadly flash floods in Europe, Asia and Brazil," Albert van Dijk, head of the research group, said in a statement.
For the report, scientists used data from thousands of ground stations and satellites in Earth's orbit to gain near real-time insights into critical water variables such as precipitation, soil moisture, river flows and floods.
The result is a striking record of water-related disasters ranging from the floods in Afghanistan and Pakistan in March and the following months, through devastating droughts in southern Africa, Storm Boris in Central Europe, and flash floods in Spain, to tropical storms in Vietnam and the Philippines in October.
In total, more than 8,700 people lost their lives, 40 million were displaced, and economic losses amounted to over $550 billion, according to the report. - dpa
