NEWS NOTES ON SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES  Distance to water in the USA 1790 to 2010  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08366...

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NEWS NOTES ON SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES  Distance to water in the USA 1790 to 2010  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08366-z.pdf ; Yu Fang & James W. Jawitz, The evolution of human population distance to water in the USA from 1790 to 2010, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | (2019) 10:430 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08366-z |www.nature.com/naturecommunications     Human societies evolved alongside rivers, but how has the relationship between humansettlement locations and water resources evolved over time? We conducted a dynamicanalysis in the conterminous US to assess the coevolution of humans and water resourcesfrom 1790 to 2010.   Here we show that humans moved closer to major rivers in pre-industrialperiods but have moved farther from major rivers after 1870, demonstrating the dynamics ofhuman reliance on rivers for trade and transport. We show that humans were preferentiallyattracted to areas overlying major aquifers since industrialization due to the emergentaccessibility of groundwater in the 20th century.   Regional heterogeneity resulted in diverse trajectories of settlement proximity to major rivers, with the attractiveness of rivers increasing in arid regions and decreasing in humid areas. Our results reveal a historical coevolution of human-water systems, which could inform water management and contribute to societal adaptation to future climate change.  This study will also be linked on Reports Page 02 of the Sustainable Water Resources Site at Sustainable Water Resources Information.  Tim SmithSustainable Water Resources CoordinatorAdvisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) for government informationSustainable Water Resources Information 

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