Tag Archive for: Nature communications

Climate-Driven Impacts on Water in US West will Raise the Cost of Grid Decarbonization: Study

/in , , /by /The Hillby Sharon Udasin

The western U.S.’s plans to decarbonize electricity grids by 2050 may be much more expensive than anticipated, as such targets fail to account for the effects of climate change on water resources, a new study has found.

Shifts in water availability due to warming could decrease hydropower production by up to 23 percent by midcentury, while electricity demand could rise by 2 percent annually, according to the study, published Monday in Nature Communications.

Full Story

California Farmers Could Save a Lot of Water — But Their Profits Would Suffer

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Rachel Becker

California farmers could save massive amounts of water if they planted less thirsty — but also less lucrative — crops instead of almonds, alfalfa and other water-guzzling crops, according to new research by scientists who used remote sensing and artificial intelligence.

Full Story

Small Changes Can Yield Big Savings in Agricultural Water Use, Study Reveals

/in , , /by /Phys.orgby Harrison Tasoff

While Hollywood and Silicon Valley love the limelight, California is an agricultural powerhouse, too. Agricultural products sold in the Golden State totaled $59 billion in 2022. But rising temperatures, declining precipitation and decades of over pumping may require drastic changes to farming.

Full Story

‘Full On Crisis’: Groundwater in California’s Central Valley Disappearing at Alarming Rate

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Scientists have discovered that the pace of groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley has accelerated dramatically during the drought as heavy agricultural pumping has drawn down aquifer levels to new lows and now threatens to devastate the underground water reserves. The research shows that chronic declines in groundwater levels, which have plagued the Central Valley for decades, have worsened significantly in recent years, with particularly rapid declines occurring since 2019.

Full Story

Lakes Growing Globally as Ice Melts and Reservoirs Expand

/in , /by /Yale Environment 360

Over the last four decades, the area covered by lakes globally has grown by close to 18,000 square miles, an expanse nearly twice the size of Lake Erie. Scientists used satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to map 3.4 million lakes around the world between 1984 and 2019, finding that lake area grew as reservoirs expanded and rising temperatures melted glaciers and permafrost, particularly in Greenland, the Rocky Mountains, and the Tibetan Plateau.

Full Story

Study: Switching to Solar And Wind Power Will Reduce Groundwater Use

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Service (Pasadena, Calif.)by Carson McCullough

Increasing energy output from solar and wind power could result in less groundwater usage and more drought-resistant environments, according to a study published Wednesday in Nature Communications.

Researchers found solar and wind power, often viewed as valuable tools to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat air pollution, can also lead to significantly less groundwater usage in areas where water management is most crucial, such as California. These reductions in spent groundwater, according to the study, have the potential to increase resistance to severe, long-lasting droughts.

Full Story