According to a first-of-its-kind report released by the Global Water Monitor Consortium, global warming is changing the water cycle across the planet while also warning that events that events like flash droughts will become more frequent in the coming years.
The report released by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) said it offers a unique snapshot of global water availability.
Normally, it takes many months for this kind of data to be collected, collated, analyzed and interpreted but by making the best possible use of satellite instruments orbiting the Earth and by automating the whole data analysis and interpretation process, the team has been able to reduce that time to a few days.
The group combined water measurements made at thousands of ground stations and by satellites to produce up-to-date information on rainfall, air temperature and humidity, soil water, river flows and the volume of water in natural and artificial lakes.
