The rivers of the world are drying up; 2023 was the driest year in 33 years according to a new report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The World Water Resources status document indicates that in the past five years, river flows and reservoir inflows have been below normal worldwide, increasing pressure on water supplies.
Overview of the Water Cycle
The annual report provides an overview of the global water cycle, from extreme floods to severe droughts, from rivers and reservoirs to glaciers and groundwater.
It gathers data from meteorological and hydrological services, data centers, members of the hydrological modeling community, and supporting organizations such as NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences.
WMO Statements
“Water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change,” says Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the WMO. “We are receiving distress signals in the form of increasingly extreme precipitation, floods, and droughts that exact a high toll on lives, ecosystems, and economies. Glacier melt threatens the long-term water security of many millions of people. And yet, we are not taking the urgent measures needed.”
River Conditions in 2023
In 2023, drier than normal river flows were recorded, meaning the volume of water flowing through a river at a given time. Over 50% of the world’s rivers are drying up or experiencing “abnormal” conditions.
Drought and reduced river flows affected large areas of North, Central, and South America, with the Mississippi River reaching record low levels and the Amazon at its lowest level in history. Asian and Oceanic river basins such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Mekong also experienced below-normal conditions.
Floods and Overflow
On the other hand, other rivers and reservoirs overflowed with devastating effects: the East Coast of Africa experienced above-normal river flows and floods, as did North Island of New Zealand and the Philippines. In Europe, the UK, Ireland, Finland, and parts of Sweden saw higher than normal river flows.
Climate Crisis and Water Cycle
Last year was the hottest on record, and scientists agree that Earth’s extreme temperatures are being driven by the climate crisis.
The WMO report notes that the combination in 2023 of prolonged droughts and devastating floods can be attributed to both the climate crisis and the natural transition from La Niña to El Niño. The climate crisis is making these natural weather phenomena more extreme, with exacerbated impacts and increasingly erratic patterns.
Glacial Water Loss
The report warns that glaciers lost 600 gigatons of water last year. Extreme melting patterns were observed in western North America and the European Alps, where Swiss glaciers lost nearly 10% of their volume in the past two years. Snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased in late spring and summer, with last May’s levels being the eighth lowest on record.
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