Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Man can regulate the hydrological cycle by diverting ocean-bound fresh water into reservoirs, subsurface storage and interior basins, and by diverting sea water into continental depressions. Between 1957 and 1982, human intervention stored as much as 0.75 mm yr−1 of sea level rise potential in reservoirs and irrigation projects.
