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Importance and vulnerability of the world’s water towers

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Bethan DaviesORCiD

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Abstract

© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.Mountains are the water towers of the world, supplying a substantial part of both natural and anthropogenic water demands1,2. They are highly sensitive and prone to climate change3,4, yet their importance and vulnerability have not been quantified at the global scale. Here we present a global water tower index (WTI), which ranks all water towers in terms of their water-supplying role and the downstream dependence of ecosystems and society. For each water tower, we assess its vulnerability related to water stress, governance, hydropolitical tension and future climatic and socio-economic changes. We conclude that the most important (highest WTI) water towers are also among the most vulnerable, and that climatic and socio-economic changes will affect them profoundly. This could negatively impact 1.9 billion people living in (0.3 billion) or directly downstream of (1.6 billion) mountainous areas. Immediate action is required to safeguard the future of the world’s most important and vulnerable water towers.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Immerzeel WW, Lutz AF, Andrade M, Bahl A, Biemans H, Bolch T, Hyde S, Brumby S, Davies BJ, Elmore AC, Emmer A, Feng M, Fernandez A, Haritashya U, Kargel JS, Koppes M, Kraaijenbrink PDA, Kulkarni AV, Mayewski PA, Nepal S, Pacheco P, Painter TH, Pellicciotti F, Rajaram H, Rupper S, Sinisalo A, Shrestha AB, Viviroli D, Wada Y, Xiao C, Yao T, Baillie JEM

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Nature

Year: 2020

Volume: 577

Issue: 7790

Pages: 364-369

Print publication date: 16/01/2020

Online publication date: 09/12/2019

Acceptance date: 11/11/2019

ISSN (print): 0028-0836

ISSN (electronic): 1476-4687

Publisher: Nature Research

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1822-y

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1822-y

PubMed id: 31816624

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