There comes a warning from a new study published in the recent issue of Sciencejournal that If #climatechange continues to progress, increased precipitation could mean detrimental outcomes for #waterquality in the United States. It further points out that an intensifying #watercycle can substantially overload #waterways with excess nitrogen runoff—which could near 20 percent by 2100—and increase the likelihood of events that severely impair water quality.
It is further revealed from the study that when rainfall washes nitrogen and phosphorus from human activities like #agriculture and fossil fuel combustion into rivers and lakes, those waterways are overloaded with #nutrients, and a phenomenon called éutrophication’ takes place, which can be dangerous for both people and animals. Toxic algal blooms can develop, as well as harmful low-oxygen dead zones called hypoxia, which can cause negative impacts on #humanhealth, #aquaticecosystems, and the economy.
Asserting that an increased precipitation is an expected outcome of climate change, many scientists have pointed out that a warming atmosphere will hold more water and produce much heavier rains over the course of the century.More rainfall from extreme events is expected in the future climate.
Although the researchers’ model carried out in this study is specific to the U.S., other heavily affected areas were also identified in the study, including India, China, and Southeast Asia. Because these regions are fast developing with continually growing populations, they have higher risk for large increases in nitrogen pollution due to increased precipitation.
Experts associated with this study also point out that large population centers around the world are already displaying evidence of hypoxic dead zones and harmful algae blooms and it has now become a global issue. These experts warn that water sustainability is not just about having enough water, but it’s also about whether that water can be used by people and animals in safe, healthy ways.
