Anthropogenic and climatic changes in the Earth’s rivers and lakes
Changes in the condition of surface water bodies are directly linked to risks to human health and biodiversity. Chemicals that can accumulate in food webs and substances that pose a risk to drinking water are being detected in these waters. Furthermore, pollution increases the likelihood of waterborne disease outbreaks.
Some facts about natural and anthropogenic pollution of rivers and lakes over the past few years
Mercury and plastic from rivers and lakes can not only harm local ecosystems but also pose a danger to humans, as river water is actively used by humans. And when it reaches the sea, the carcinogen can accumulate in seafood and be ingested by humans. In Greenland, in just the last couple of years, thousands of large blue lakes have turned brown; they’ve filled with stinking mud that releases carbon into the atmosphere. Another study found that mercury levels have nearly doubled in virtually all the world’s major rivers. And the first data collected on plastic pollution in the Amazon basin in 2025 reveals its widespread prevalence.
In 18% of the regions of the planet Earth, the circulation of fresh water has been significantly disrupted as a result of human activity
A new study by an international team of scientists has concluded that aquifer depletion is affecting countries around the world and can threaten both the stability of local ecosystems and water security, with groundwater pumping causing the entire planet to tilt. Also, an international team of hydrologists and climatologists comprehensively studied the fresh water cycle on Earth and came to the conclusion that in 18% of the planet’s regions, the circulation of fresh water between rivers, ponds, lakes, other bodies of water and other environments has been significantly disrupted as a result of human activity.
Reluctant treatment: water bodies around the world are polluted with drugs and related waste
Painkillers, antibiotics, steroid hormones and contraceptives – this is not the entire list of medicines that are found in the seas, lakes and rivers. The source of drugs is sewage, since more than half of “used” drugs leave the body in a biologically active form, that is, they practically do not lose their properties.