River basins are dynamic environments that are always changing and reorganizing under geologic forces. New research investigates how this shape shifting influences aquatic speciation and extinction.
River channels
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Records and Risks of Legacy Phosphorus in Streams
A new study quantifies persistent phosphorus in a drainage basin in Sweden and points out risks and oversights to factor in to future stream management.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A More Accurate Global River Map
A new map of global river systems is based on crowdsourcing and the latest topography data sets.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tracking Dissolved Organic Matter in Coastal Ecosystems
Dissolved organic matter supports aquatic food webs and holds as much carbon as the atmosphere. A new study tracks which sources and processes play the biggest role in coastal systems.
Posted inNews
Where Did All the Free-Flowing Rivers Go?
A map of the world’s free-flowing rivers shows a shrinking number can still meander as they please. New plans for hydropower will further constrain flow.
Posted inNews
Some Waterfalls May Be Self-Made
Waterfalls sometimes imply a past dramatic event, like tectonic uplift or a landslide. Self-formed waterfalls could challenge that interpretation.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Formation of Sedimentary Deposits: Bypass Versus Mass Extraction
Grain size and sediment delivery pathways from the Ganges delta have been used to model downstream facies changes.
Posted inNews
How Old Is the Mekong River Valley?
Granite samples collected from the Mekong River Valley reveal that the river’s path was incised roughly 17 million years ago, most likely by increased erosion from monsoon precipitation.
Posted inScience Updates
How Much Land Surface Is Under Water at Any Given Time?
NASA Workshop on Remote Sensing of Inundation Extent; Boulder, Colorado, 21–22 May 2018
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Urban Sewers Evolve Similarly to River Networks
Like river systems, engineered drainage networks become increasingly fractal as they grow.