Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Global Lake Water Storage Trends and Drivers

More than half of the world's largest lakes have declined over the past three decades

More than half of the world's largest lakes have declined over the past three decades. Human water consumption, warming climate, and sedimentation are largely responsible for water losses, while gains are due to reservoir infilling and regional increases in precipitation and runoff. Nearly one quarter of the world's population resides in a basin with a drying lake, underscoring the importance of management solutions. 

Credit: Yao et al., Science (2023). 

Contact: Fangfang Yao, CIRES Visiting Fellow (fangfang.yao@colorado.edu)

Lake Water Storage

More than half of the world's largest lakes have declined over the past three decades