AP News has written an article discussing a new study analyzing the consequences of climate change on the world’s lakes. Researchers examined nearly 2,000 of the world’s largest lakes, finding they are losing about 5.7 trillion gallons a year.

Three reasons were provided to explain this trend: warmer air causing more water to evaporate, societies diverting water away from lakes for other needs, and water shrinkage due to changes in rainfall patterns and river runoff. “More than half of the decline is primarily attributable to human consumption or indirect human signals through climate warming,” said the study’s lead author, University of Colorado scientist Fangfang Yao. The loss of lake water will create more competition between stakeholders who use it for a variety of reasons, from drinking water to power generation and more. While most regions will not see immediate impacts, researchers are concerned about the effect on populated regions where major lakes are the only source of water, like in many desert countries. Read more at AP News.