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Water resources

Island water stress

Nature Climate Change volume 6, pages 1062–1063 (2016)Cite this article

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Small island states will experience decreasing freshwater resources under climate change this century.

Climate change threatens groundwater resources relied on by many small island nations, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change1. Holding et al. characterize the combined effects of aquifer hydrogeology, climate change and legislation on 43 small island developing states throughout the world. They find that nearly half of the states are already facing some degree of freshwater resource stress. By mid-century, the problem is likely to worsen, with at least 72% of the island states seeing declines in groundwater recharge rates — some by as much as 58% — if climate change goes unabated. Although legislation could protect groundwater resources, such legal infrastructure is lacking in many of the nations that are facing the greatest risk of reductions in freshwater availability.

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Figure 1: Schematic of small island hydrogeology, based loosely on the topography of Santiago Island (Cape Verde) as in ref. 2.

References

  1. Holding, S. et al. Nat. Clim. Change 6, 1100–1103 10.1038/nclimate3128(2016).

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  2. Transboundary Aquifers and Groundwater Systems of Small Island Developing States: Status and Trends Summary for Policy Makers (UNESCO-IHP and UNEP, 2016).

  3. Held, I. M. & Soden, B. J. J. Clim. 19, 5686–5699 (2006).

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  4. Karnauskas, K. B., Donnelly, J. P. & Anchukaitis, K. J. Nat. Clim. Change 6, 720–725 (2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toby Ault is in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 1113 Bradfield Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA,

    Toby Ault

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  1. Toby Ault
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Correspondence to Toby Ault.

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Ault, T. Island water stress. Nature Clim Change 6, 1062–1063 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3171

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3171

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