Decline in water availability in the Southern hemisphere

Subject: History

Section: Art and Culture

Context:

Driven in part by large scale atmospheric climate modes, the Southern hemisphere accounts for more than 95% of the recent decline in global water availability, according to a new study.

More About News:

Global land water availability has varied due to climate change and increased human water use.
In the Northern hemisphere, there is negligible change in land water availability.
The new analysis reveals a strong decrease in water availability in South America, most of Africa, and central and northwestern Australia.
However, some regions such as the southern part of South America will have more water available.
South America includes the Amazon rainforest, which is a key regulator for the climate, as well as a globally important habitat for species and home to many Indigenous communities.
Drying of the rainforest would reduce vegetation and increase the risk of fire. This would be bad news for humans and animals that live in the forest, and has the potential to release billions of tons of carbon currently locked into forest vegetation and soils.
The experts suggest the principal cause is the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, which occurs every few years when ocean water in the eastern Pacific is warmer than usual.

El Nino

About: It is the name given to the occasional development of warm ocean surface waters along the coast of Ecuador and Peru.
Frequency: El Niño events occur irregularly at intervals of 2–7 years, although the average is about once every 3-4 years.
Impact of El Nino across the globe: El Nino impacts ocean temperatures, the speed and strength of ocean currents, the health of coastal fisheries, and local weather.