Dry spine – Science Poetry

What slipped
Not a flood –
No clean edge
Or single rupture –
But one is demarcated
Wire,
Suck from the grip
Root bar and
Clay fragments.
Thirsty
The curve of the year
and hold it
Tighten
Until the skin breaks.
No drought,
But absent
return.

The poem is inspired by recent research that found a permanent global decline in water storage on land, especially soil moisture.

As the planets warm, the way water passes through the land is changing. Changes in rainfall and evaporation patterns destroy how water is stored and the earth’s surface. This involves not only floods or droughts, but also the overall balance of water on the land, which is crucial for agriculture, ecosystems and communities. Scientists have long suspected that these shifts may have greater, longer lasting effects, but it is difficult to confirm this globally.

The study brings together satellite data on soil moisture, sea level measurements, and observes how the Earth rotates to provide a clearer picture. It shows that between 2000 and 2002 alone, the Earth lost nearly twice the melting of the Greenland ice from the surface. This huge loss (over 1600 Gigatonnes) lasted until the next decade and the water did not return. Evidence suggests that this is due to persistent insufficient rainfall, coupled with stable evaporation, and recovery is unlikely under current climatic conditions. These findings highlight how the climate crisis reshapes the world’s level and has long-term consequences for people and the planet.