Virtual water imports and exports in the Roman world

These maps show simulations of the virtual water imported (top) and exported (bottom) in the Roman Empire. The relative amount of virtual water exchanged is illustrated by the size of the circles, while the numbers show the amount imported or exported in tonnes of grain per year. Rome is the largest importer of virtual water.

Please refer to the Hydrology and Earth System Sciences paper for further details about the image, including a full interpretation of the simulation results.

Credit: Dermody et al., Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2014

• Water’s role in the rise and fall of the Roman Empire (11 December 2014)

• Original image (1.3 MB, 2135.0x2098.0 px)
• Preview image (75.1 KB, 1280x1258 px, JPEG format)

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