According to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience , air pollution has a notable impact on the amount of water carried by many of the rivers in the northern hemisphere.
This is the conclusion reached by a team of researchers from the University of Exeter, the Center for Ecology and Hydrology at the University of Reading, the UK Met Office and the French Dynamic Meteorological Laboratory, who have analyzed the relationship between the aerosols released into the atmosphere and the global darkening caused by these suspended particles.
Thus, scientists indicate that in 1980, with the levels of aerosols soaring , this phenomenon caused an increase in the flow of rivers of 25% in the most industrialized areas of central Europe. Aerosols, such as those generated during many thermal processes, such as burning coal, reflect solar radiation and reduce the amount of light reaching the surface , affecting evaporation.
The presence of these compounds has diminished in the skies of Europe and North America after the introduction of regulations that have limited emissions and less polluting fuels.
The authors of the article point out that it is necessary to assess this issue , since current climate change models highlight that one of its consequences will be the scarcity of fresh water.
