A Precipitation Recycling Network to Assess Freshwater Vulnerability: Challenging the Watershed Convention

Water resources and water scarcity are usually regarded as local aspects for which a watershed-based management appears adequate. However, precipitation, as a main source of freshwater, may depend on moisture supplied through land evaporation from outside the watershed. This notion of evaporation as a local "green water" supply to precipitation is typically not considered in hydrological water assessments. Here we propose the concept of a watershed precipitation recycling network, which establishes atmospheric pathways and links land surface evaporation as a moisture supply to precipitation, hence contributing to local but also remote freshwater resources. Our results show that up to 74% of summer precipitation over European watersheds depends on moisture supplied from other watersheds, which contradicts the conventional consideration of autarkic watersheds. The proposed network approach illustrates atmospheric pathways and enables the objective assessment of freshwater vulnerability and water scarcity risks under global change. The illustrated watershed interdependence emphasizes the need for global water governance to secure freshwater availability.