The entire global water cycle is changing drastically. Here are the alarming changes!

The year 2022 saw some unavoidable, drastic, and strange changes in the water cycle. It was the third La Niña year that caused a lot of rain in Southeast Asia and Australia, while other parts of the Pacific experienced severe dry conditions.

While these patterns were actually foreseen, one may wonder about the reasons behind these strange and drastic variations. Well, probably these situations are not simply coincidences, these are warning signs by nature. 

Let’s have a look at what happened in the year 2022 with respect to the water cycle

A third consecutive La Niña year had an impact on the weather conditions all around the globe in the year 2022. It is quite unusual to see three consecutive La Niña years.

What is a La Niña?

La Niña is an oceanic event in which the sea surface temperatures are rather cooler than unusual in the eastern and central tropical Pacific and warmer than usual in the western Pacific.

The phenomenon of La Niña helps in enhancing easterly trade winds that lead to rain in southeast Australia and Asia.

In the year 2022, La Niña shook hands with the Indian Ocean’s warm waters and brought flooding from Iran to New Zealand. This was indeed widespread flooding.

Pakistan experienced the most horrific floods. Around 8 million people were compelled to step out of their homes due to massive flooding across the river Indus. Australia, too, bore the brunt of these calamities, due to multiple flood events happening all year. The floods not only arose in the east, but parts of Western Australia, like the Kimberly, too faced massive devastation.

While some areas of the flood were facing devastating floods, the La Niña brought drought to other areas. Yes, the other side of the Pacific Ocean experienced heavy drought. Central South America and the Western United States experienced a multi-year drought. The lakes of these areas experienced a historic low.

The drought decimated crops and brought a devastating situation in the Horn of Africa.

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Troubling trends in rains

Regions from India to Northern Australia that are considered monsoon regions are getting wetter. Additionally, Africa and parts of America are getting drier and drier. Such areas also include the western United States. The year 2022 was in fact the 23rd year of drought for the western United States. If the rainfall total records are analyzed monthly, the records seem to be intact. However, rainfall over brief periods is getting increasingly intense in a myriad of regions. Intense rainfall events have alarmed communities across the planet in the year 2022 alike. Communities from Nigeria, Afghanistan, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan, and India are getting alarmed by the shocking trends.

Heavy rains leading to flash floods and landslides have been the reason for thousands of people losing their lives, and many more leaving their abode and starting a life from scratch at a relatively safer space with minimal means of living. After analyzing the situation, here comes an obvious question that arises!

If such floodplains are so prone to floods, then why do people choose to settle in such regions?

Keeping all the other reasons aside, the main reason why people are growingly choosing to settle down in such flood-prone areas lies in the concern of the growing population.

Yes, population growth with every passing day is compelling people to reside in floodplains and onto slopes that are unstable and prone to landslides. Growing population, huge settlements in disaster-prone areas, and changing trends in the downpour- all are contributing factors to horrifying disasters for mankind.

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