What Is the Global Water Cycle and How Is It Amplifying Climate Disasters?

What is the global water cycle and how is it amplifying climate disasters?

Floods, droughts and heat waves continue to dominate headlines around the world and in Australia.

Water cycle instability drove global water-related disasters

Ongoing shifts in the global water cycle amplified floods, droughts and heat extremes in 2025, according to a new report involving an international team of researchers, led by the Australian National University (ANU).   The 2025 Global Water Monitor Report demonstrates that continued warming alters how water moves, is stored, and is exchanged between the atmosphere, land and oceans, with significant consequences for societies and ecosystems.   T…