https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/12/climate/world-rivers-flow-mapped/
"The nearly 3 million rivers that weave across the world are experiencing rapid
and surprising changes, with potentially drastic implications for everything
from drinking water supplies to flood risks, according to a new study.
Scientists mapped the flow of water through every single river on the planet,
every day over the past 35 years, using a combination of satellite data and
computer modeling. What they found shocked them.
Nearly half of the world’s largest downstream rivers — 44% — saw a drop in the
amount of water flowing through them each year, according to the research
published Thursday in the journal
Science.
Rivers such as the Congo, Africa’s second largest river, the Yangtze, which
weaves through China, and South America’s Plata saw significant declines, said
Dongmei Feng, the study’s lead author and a hydrology professor at the
University of Cincinnati.
For the smallest upstream rivers, mostly in mountainous areas, it was a
different story: 17% saw an increase in flow rate.
While the study didn’t delve into the reasons behind the changes, the authors
say the clear drivers are human activity and the fossil fuel-driven climate
crisis, which is shifting rainfall patterns and accelerating snowmelt."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
