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Projecting changes in the water sources used for irrigation in South Asia

Using a cryosphere–hydrology–crop model, future changes in the amount and sources of water withdrawals for irrigation are investigated for South Asia under different climate change and socioeconomic scenarios. The model reveals that meltwater and groundwater will become increasingly important to complement rainfall runoff to provide food for millions.

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Fig. 1: Changes in water sources for irrigation withdrawal.

References

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This is a summary of: Lutz, A. F. et al. South Asian agriculture increasingly dependent on meltwater and groundwater. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01355-z (2022).

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Projecting changes in the water sources used for irrigation in South Asia. Nat. Clim. Chang. 12, 514–515 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01360-2

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