Grid with estimated maximum available soil moisture in mm/m with a spatial resolution of 5 * 5 arc minutes. Information with regard to maximum available soil moisture was calculated from the "Derived Soil Properties" of the "Digital Soil Map of the World" which contains raster information on soil moisture in different classes.

The map shows the total annual water withdrawal. Water withdrawals are downscaled to to a five arc-minute grid. Water is considered scarce when the withdrawals exceed 40% of the renewable resource. According to statistics compiled by FAO (FAOSTAT), several countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia withdraw more water than their total renewable resources. Domestic water withdrawals are downscaled by applying the per capita domestic water use to population of each pixel. Industrial water withdrawals were downscaled by using the industrial water use per unit GDP and applying downscaled information on GDP. Water consumption is assumed to be 30% of domestic use and 10% of industrial use. Finally, agricultural water consumption is assumed to be the crop water deficit in irrigated areas generated in the AEZ analysis and water used for livestock consumption, applied to a global spatial data set of livestock distribution prepared by FAO. Source of the map: GAEZ 2009 and AQUASTAT; downscaling simulations by authors.

This map provides a representation of levels of water scarcity by major hydrological basin, expressed in terms of the ratio between irrigation water that is consumed by plants through evapotranspiration and renewable fresh water resources. Contrarily to previous water scarcity maps, this map uses consumptive use of water rather than water withdrawal. Renewable fresh water resources as well as net irrigation water requirements in the river basin are calculated through a water balance model, with information regarding climate, soils and irrigated agriculture as input data. The legend distinguishes three classes: • Water scarcity in river basins where evapotranspiration due to irrigation is less than 10% of the total renewable water resources is classified as low; • Water scarcity in river basins where evapotranspiration due to irrigation is in between 10% and 20% of the total renewable water resources is classified as moderate; • Water scarcity in river basins where evapotranspiration due to irrigation is more than 20% of the total renewable water resources is classified as high.

The map shows the ratio of total withdrawals to the available renewable water resource. Renewable water resources are downscaled to a five arc-minute grid. Water is considered scarce when the withdrawals exceed 40% of the renewable resource. According to statistics compiled by FAO (FAOSTAT),several countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia withdraw more water than their total renewable resources. Domestic water withdrawals are downscaled by applying the per capita domestic water use to population of each pixel. Industrial water withdrawals were downscaled by using the industrial water use per unit GDP and applying downscaled information on GDP. Water consumption is assumed to be 30% of domestic use and 10% of industrial use. Finally, agricultural water consumption is assumed to be the crop water deficit in irrigated areas generated in the AEZ analysis and water used for livestock consumption, applied to a global spatial data set of livestock distribution prepared by FAO.Source of the map: GAEZ 2009 and AQUASTAT; downscaling simulations by authors.