Study: Over half of world's reservoirs could lose function by 2060 due to sediment build-up
By
James Woodford
Summary
A study predicts that over half of the world's freshwater reservoirs will be "functionally dead" by 2060 due to sediment build-up. Dams block silt, sand, and gravel from flowing downstream, causing material to accumulate in reservoirs and shrink water storage capacity. Researchers led by Kai Liu at the Chinese Academy of Sciences used satellite imagery, sedimentation data, and machine learning to analyze over half a million reservoirs, finding that each decade the world loses over 7% of its freshwater storage capacity to sediment build-up. The trapped sediment also compromises dam safety and damages downstream ecosystems.
Source
Twitter / XStudy: Over half of world's reservoirs could lose function by 2060 due to sediment build-upnewscientist.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledOver half of the planet's freshwater reservoirs will be 'functionally dead' by 2060 due to sediment build-up, a study has predicted.
Each decade the world is losing over 7 per cent of its freshwater storage capacity to sediment build-up, according to an analysis of over half a million reservoirs.
Dams block silt, sand and gravel from flowing downstream, so over time this material accumulates in reservoirs, shrinking the space for water.
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