Experts from the University of Birmingham have warned that this summer’s dry weather ‘may be a harbinger of drought and water shortages to come’.
Professor David Hannah, professor of hydrology and UNESCO chair in water sciences at the University of Birmingham, commented, “The announcement of drought conditions in regions around the UK come as the Midlands records the lowest river levels since 1976 and some levels at critically low levels. As the UK has experienced three heatwaves already over the summer, and a fourth forecast, water security is becoming a more prominent concern that threatens the UK’s economy, society and environment. This summer represents only an early indication of a broader trend, as anthropogenic climate change is projected to significantly increase the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events in the UK.
“Our previous research has shown how reduced water levels and rising atmospheric temperatures are also heating our rivers which are creating major challenges for aquatic life, ecosystems, and society. Drought conditions often coincide with high atmospheric temperatures, and such trends will become more intense and frequent with climate change.
“Extreme heat and drought will also affect our economy as farmers are likely to face lower yields for crops; and emergency work to treat and conserve water will all hit parts of society. Some thermoelectric power plants (coal, gas, nuclear) use water from rivers to cool their systems; and when river temperatures rise, this can force plants to operate at lower capacities or even shut down temporarily. This all underscores the need to mitigate and adapt to human-caused global temperature rises urgently in the UK and, indeed, around the world.”
Dr James White, research fellow in water sciences at the University of Birmingham, commented that increasing water scarcity makes investment in infrastructure more urgent. “The Met Office’s ‘UK Climate Projections’ (UKCP18) indicate that warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers will become more frequent with future climate change, as will extremes like floods and droughts,” he said. “Concentrated rainfall across shorter time windows during winter means that less water can be stored in reservoirs and underground aquifers – or in other words, more of this precious resource washes out to sea after inflicting devastating socioeconomic and ecological impacts on its way.
“This combined with increasing dryness in the seasons to follow makes water security in the context of a growing population and a changing climate a fundamental societal and environmental challenge of today and tomorrow. Radical water resource and environmental management actions are therefore urgently required. This includes assessing, and where necessary re-designing, water abstraction licensing practices and dam flow releases to sustainably store and use water, and to help also safeguard ecosystems long into the future.
