Climate change in mountains threatens water in the lowlands.
Shrinking glaciers and decreasing snow cover are altering the water balance far beyond mountainous regions. However, researchers warn that it is currently impossible to reliably estimate the extent of the impact in lowland areas.
A research team led by hydrologist Daniel Viviroli from the Blue Community University of Zurich noted in an article in the journal “Nature Climate Change” that data and analyses are lacking. “While much of the research focuses on changes in snow and glaciers within mountain ranges, a holistic understanding of how changes in the water cycle in mountain regions affect human water use and downstream ecosystems is still lacking,” the research team wrote.
Read on swissinfo.ch (German), in Google English and on Nature Climate Change
