Home / Environment / Earth's Water Cycle Spiraling Out of Control
Earth's Water Cycle Spiraling Out of Control
18 Sep
Summary
- The planet's water cycle is showing extreme swings between too little and too much water.
- Earth's freshwater storage, including glaciers and groundwater, is in a decade-long decline.
- An unprecedented El Nino is expected to worsen droughts and floods globally.
As of September 2026, the United Nations is warning that the Earth's water cycle is becoming dangerously erratic, characterized by extreme fluctuations between water scarcity and excess. The World Meteorological Organisation's latest report indicates that the planet's total freshwater storage, including groundwater, lakes, rivers, soil moisture, vegetation, and ice, has continued its decade-long decline.
This trend is particularly alarming as the "slow reserves" of the water cycle, such as groundwater and glaciers, are being depleted. These reserves have historically served as crucial buffers against dry periods. However, between 2023 and 2025 alone, glaciers lost an estimated 1,400 gigatonnes of water, and nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showed conditions outside the historical norm in 2025.
Compounding these issues, an unprecedented El Nino event is expected to significantly amplify the erratic water cycle. This natural climate phenomenon, characterized by warmer Pacific Ocean temperatures, will likely increase the risk of severe droughts in certain areas while simultaneously triggering devastating floods in others. The WMO Secretary General highlighted that this strengthening El Nino poses a substantial threat to global water security.
