The rapid expansion of agricultural irrigation raises concerns about exacerbating water scarcity, but land–atmosphere interactions are often overlooked. This study isolates irrigation impacts from other drivers using a multi-model framework to reveal that historical irrigation expansion substantially reduces net atmospheric water influx, intensifying drying trends and accelerating terrestrial water storage depletion, urging immediate mitigation strategies.
- Yi Yao
- Wim Thiery
- Sonia I. Seneviratne
