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Why Are the World's Lakes Disappearing?

Posted by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages at 1:00 PM on June 10, 2008.


From the Great Lakes to Lake Chad, the world's inland lakes are drying up.
lakechad1

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An estimated three hundred and four million of them across the globe, and yet still, researchers are noticing many inland lakes are beginning to dry.

In Siberia, Central Asia, East Africa, and North America -- the results are the same -- lakes simply cannot compete with man-made alterations to the environment.

And, these are not just small lakes, some of the lakes with dropping water levels are gigantic in size.

There are 122 large lakes in the world each over 1000 square kilometers (386 square miles).

Lake Victoria, in Africa, is the largest tropical lake in the world at 68,800 square kilometers (26,560 square miles). Mounting water-level decline in this lake is slowly eroding the livelihood of local fisherman and ranchers, agricultural producers, and industrial water users near the lake. A lack of suitable drinking water or dependable power supply is also becoming more common in the region.

Morning Edition on NPR recently aired a segment on Lake Victoria by corespondent Jessica Partnow: Battle for Resources Grows as Lake Victoria Shrinks. She has also reported on dropping water levels in Lake Haramaya in Africa for World Vision Report. Sometimes occasional fluctuations of water levels in lakes are natural, but the current rate that many lakes are beginning to go dry throughout the world is not.

Humans alter the natural environment near lakes and water levels decline. We build dams, over-pump rivers, over-use groundwater, put roads and parking lots in natural recharge areas, build industries in locations without enough water, over-irrigate our crops, and, often, we use too much water in our homes. Not to mention the effect of a changing climate on water supply sources.

But, some things that could help 'decline' at least some of this water-level decline include:

  • conservation, conservation, conservation
  • grow crops in regions they are acclimated (low-water crops)
  • alternative water supply sources such as rainwater harvesting systems
  • pursue green "water conservative" development techniques
  • reduce the pavement
  • rethink industrial production
  • low impact living
  • conservation, conservation, conservation.

Here's a few other lakes around the world with dropping water levels:

Digg!

Tagged as: drought, lakes, water

Abigail Brown manages water resources in Washington State.


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View:
?????
Posted by: crazy carlos on Jun 11, 2008 2:33 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
My first guess is that these waters are going back into the ground to refill the aquafilters--(no brainer). Other than that only evaporation would seem to be a logical conclusion due to hotter weather. Crazy carlos

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Not just global warming
Posted by: CJC on Jun 12, 2008 10:15 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The virtual disappearance of the Aral Sea has little to do with global warming and a lot to do with diverting the water in the rivers that feed it.

And "crazy carlos" is not correct in his assumption that the water is going into aquifers. No, when land is irrigated the water goes into the crops and a lot evaporates. Often the agricultural land is degraded also because irrigation brings salts to the surface.

The sad thing is - here's an important piece on a serious world problem and almost no Alternet readers are saying a word.

Say something about sexism or the presidential campaign and the comments pour out.

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» RE: Not just global warming Posted by: crazy carlos
Can you say...
Posted by: Bearzerker on Jun 12, 2008 10:16 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...deforestation...and maybe...overpopulation!

FORESTS are the biggest set of lungs we have on the planet...
they "BREATHE & MAKE MOISTURE" for everything
and we are cutting them down for what?...

PROFIT?...JOBS?...FARMLAND?

NICE GOING SLIM... WHATS NEXT THE OCEANS?!!!
Never mind they've already been strip mined to the point of DEAD ZONES!

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