Agricultural irrigation extracts large amounts of land surface runoff and groundwater to grow crops. A systematic modelling study now suggests that historical increases in irrigation have led to net losses of both surface and groundwater beyond those caused by climate change.
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Lambert, F.H. Irrigation increased historical land surface and groundwater loss. Nat Water 3, 1354–1355 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00560-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00560-2
