Question

A severe drought occurs in a region, reducing surface water and groundwater levels. Farmers increase irrigation from underground aquifers, and temperatures rise, causing more evaporation. Clouds form slowly, and rainfall becomes rare. Which statement best explains how these changes affect the water cycle?

Answer 1

The changes speed up the movement of water out of the ground and surface (more evaporation and evapotranspiration from irrigated fields) but slow the return of water to those stores (less rainfall, slower cloud formation, less recharge). In other words, evaporation increases locally while precipitation and groundwater recharge decrease, producing a net loss of water from aquifers and surface sources and worsening the drought.