Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Heavy rains dry up the ground

Experts have long recognized the paradox that although rain increases the amount of water in aquifers, heavy rainfall dries the soil. Now, mathematical models created by a team at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire have provided the explanation and quantified the effect. Simulations for the future indicate that, with global temperatures increasing by 2 degrees, droughts caused by heavy rain will affect 27% of the world’s population.

The rain brings water by itself, which reaches the aquifers and fills the water reserves. But not in all conditions. According to theoretical models, on the other hand, if the rain is strong, a large amount of this water evaporates quickly and never reaches the aquifers. And the global consequence is the desiccation of aquifers.

Ultimately, the change in water supply depends on these two factors. How much it rains and how much it evaporates, hydrologists analyze the balance between the two. There are more factors, of course. The snow that melts, or how much water the vegetation absorbs, for example. But it has usually been studied for how long a certain amount of rainwater falls in relation to the risk of flooding. In any case, according to the models, this time changes the evaporation rate.

And in addition to the models, the experts have also used the data taken by the GRACE satellite. In fact, with these data they have confirmed the correctness of the theoretical models. This satellite collects data from all over the world by measuring the radiation emitted by the hydrological state. These experts have discarded parts of Greenland and Antarctica (due to their different dynamics due to the ice) and have carried out simulations for the future. That said, with global temperatures increasing by 2 degrees, drought will affect 27% of the world’s population.