Research from Michigan State University (MSU) highlights an urgent need for mitigation to avoid water storage declines and increased droughts particularly in Australia and South Africa. Researchers say there is a pressing need for water resource management and adaptation and Australian farmers play a key role. The study investigated terrestrial water storage (TWS) which is water available in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, wetlands, canopies, ice, snow, soil and groundwater.

One of the study’s authors, associate professor Yadu Pokhrel from the department of civil and environmental engineering at MSU said mitigation is critical in southern Australia where climate change is expected to cause large declines in water availability and increase related droughts. Pokhrel said urgent climate change adaption is critical to avoid the effects of reduced TWS on a range of systems, including agriculture.