Global Environmental Change· 2014Q1
Water on an urban planet: Urbanization and the reach of urban water infrastructure
- 778citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Large cities draw 78% of their water from surface sources, often transported over vast distances (average 27,000 km), with upstream areas covering 41% of the global land surface. Ignoring this infrastructure in models significantly overestimated urban water stress.
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Key points
- 78% of water for large cities originates from surface sources.
- Cities transport 504 billion liters of water daily over an average distance of 27,000 km.
- Urban water sources draw from upstream areas covering 41% of the global land surface.
- Previous hydrologic models overestimated urban water stress by ignoring infrastructure.
- Despite infrastructure, 25% of cities remain water stressed, affecting $4.8 trillion in economic activity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Urban growth is increasing the demand for freshwater resources, yet surprisingly the water sources of the world's large cities have never been globally assessed, hampering efforts to assess the distribution and causes of urban water stress. We conducted the first global survey of the large cities’ water sources, and show that previous global hydrologic models that ignored urban water infrastructure significantly overestimated urban water stress. Large cities obtain 78 ± 3% of their water from surface sources, some of which are far away: cumulatively, large cities moved 504 billion liters a day (184 km3 yr−1) a distance of 27,000 ± 3800 km, and the upstream contributing area of urban water sources is 41% of the global land surface. Despite this infrastructure, one in four cities, containing $4.8 ± 0.7 trillion in economic activity, remain water stressed due to geographical and financial limitations. The strategic management of these cities’ water sources is therefore important for the future of the global economy.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Global Environmental Change, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Ocean Engineering
Ocean EngineeringEngineering