Rajat January 1, 2021
Past ‘mega droughts’ have often struck simultaneously sites currently home to electricity production along Asian rivers, says the largest study of the continent’s river systems that could help predict long-term changes in the region’s water cycle.
The study, published in the journal Water Resources Research, noted that the findings have important implications for water management and energy production, especially when a country’s economy relies on multiple river basins.
“Our data shows that ‘mega droughts’ have affected multiple power production sites simultaneously, so that we can now use this information to design a grid that is less vulnerable during extreme events, ”said study co-author Stefano Galelli of Singapore University of Technology and design (SUTD).
Last Updated:
31st December, 2020 12:04 IST
Largest Study Of Asia s Rivers May Help Predict Changes In Region s Water Cycle: Scientists
The study, published in the journal Water Resources Research, noted that the findings have important implications for water management and power production, especially when a country s economy depends on multiple river basins. Mega-droughts of the past have often simultaneously hit sites that are currently home to power production along Asian rivers, says the largest study of the continent s river systems which may help predict long term changes in the region s water cycle.
The study, published in the journal Water Resources Research, noted that the findings have important implications for water management and power production, especially when a country s economy depends on multiple river basins.
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IMAGE: Map of the Asian Monsoon region; river basins involved in this study are highlighted by subregion, rivers belonging to the world s 30 biggest are shown with names indicated in blue.. view more
Credit: SUTD
813 years of annual river discharge at 62 stations, 41 rivers in 16 countries, from 1200 to 2012. That is what researchers at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) produced after two years of research in order to better understand past climate patterns of the Asian Monsoon region.
Home to many populous river basins, including ten of the world s biggest rivers (Figure 1), the Asian Monsoon region provides water, energy, and food for more than three billion people. This makes it crucial for us to understand past climate patterns so that we can better predict long term changes in the water cycle and the impact they will have on the water supply.