Accessible, clean, safe drinking water is critical for human health, stable human societies, sustainable development and ecosystem integrity.
Around 70% of our planet is covered by water. The ocean holds about 97% of this water, and only around 3% is freshwater. Most of Earth’s freshwater is locked glaciers in and groundwater, whilst the least amount of freshwater is directly accessible in our lakes and rivers.
Water continuously moves between the atmosphere, land, and oceans through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. This constant movement, the water cycle, influences weather and climate patterns.
Changes in the water cycle can significantly impact precipitation patterns, resulting in uneven distribution, droughts, floods, and the overall availability of water resources. Monitoring and assessing changes in the water cycle is crucial for strategic planning to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change, sustainably manage water resources, and preparing for water-related hazards such as floods and droughts.
Data from river discharge, lake storage and reservoir inflow, groundwater levels, soil moisture content, evapotranspiration rates, snow cover and water-related…
