American scientists have found that in the next 50 years, the United States will face a significant shortage of drinking water due to global warming. This is reported by Science Alert.
The researchers used a range of global climate models to predict water availability based on data on expected population growth. It is known that since the beginning of the 20th century, water consumption has increased ninefold, and uninterrupted water supply was achieved in the 1980s through the construction of dams, tunnels and pipelines. However, the situation will worsen in the future.
Experts predict that water supplies in the central and southern regions of the Great Plains, in the southwestern and central states of the Rocky Mountains, California, Florida and the Midwest will be at risk. At the same time, climate change is contributing to an increase in rainfall over the northern states. However, an increase in air temperature will increase the rate of evaporation of precipitated moisture, which in some places will negate the effect of an increase in the amount and intensity of rains.
Scientists believe that the problem of water scarcity can be overcome through the introduction of new agricultural methods that increase the efficiency of irrigation. Another solution may be to use groundwater, but this resource is limited and also threatened.