Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38956151›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2024

Indicator metrics and temporal aggregations introduce ambiguities in water scarcity estimates.

Fitsume T Wolkeba, Mesfin M Mekonnen, Kate A Brauman, Mukesh Kumar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Global overlooked multidimensional water scarcity.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Fitsume T WolkebaDepartment of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA. fwolkeba@crimson.ua.edu.
Mesfin M MekonnenDepartment of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA. mesfin.mekonnen@ua.edu.
Kate A BraumanGlobal Water Security Center, Alabama Water Institute, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
Mukesh KumarDepartment of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.

Funding

National Science Foundation CMMI-2105514National Science Foundation OIA-2019561, EAR-1856054, DGE-2152140
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Water scarcity is a global challenge affecting billions of people worldwide. This study systematically assesses differences in the estimation of the global population exposed to water scarcity based on 7 water scarcity indicators and 11 Environmental Flow Requirements (EFR) evaluated at various spatial and temporal resolutions. All indicators show an increase in water scarcity since 1901. However, considering monthly average water scarcity estimates spatially aggregated at the basin scale found 35% less population exposed than estimates based on a distributed grid over the landscape. Estimates temporally disaggregated to consider water scarcity for at least one month a year found 50% (tenfold) larger population exposed compared to average monthly (annual) estimates. The study illustrates that estimates of the impacts of water scarcity are an artifact of how water scarcity is defined and calculated. This suggests caution is needed when relying on a single method and emphasizes the importance of considering the diversity of factors that can influence estimates of impact when assessing water scarcity.

Identifiers

PMID38956151
PMCPMC11219772

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.