Satellites reveal hotspots of global river extent change

Qianhan Wu, Linghong Ke, Jida Wang, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, George H. Allen, Yongwei Sheng, Xuejun Duan, Yunqiang Zhu, Jin Wu, Lei Wang, Kai Liu, Tan Chen, Wensong Zhang, Chenyu Fan, Bin Yong and Chunqiao Song ()
Additional contact information
Qianhan Wu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Linghong Ke: Hohai University
Jida Wang: Kansas State University
Tamlin M. Pavelsky: University of North Carolina
George H. Allen: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Yongwei Sheng: University of California
Xuejun Duan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yunqiang Zhu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jin Wu: The University of Hong Kong
Lei Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kai Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tan Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wensong Zhang: Nanjing University
Chenyu Fan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Bin Yong: Hohai University
Chunqiao Song: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Rivers are among the most diverse, dynamic, and productive ecosystems on Earth. River flow regimes are constantly changing, but characterizing and understanding such changes have been challenging from a long-term and global perspective. By analyzing water extent variations observed from four-decade Landsat imagery, we here provide a global attribution of the recent changes in river regime to morphological dynamics (e.g., channel shifting and anabranching), expansion induced by new dams, and hydrological signals of widening and narrowing. Morphological dynamics prevailed in ~20% of the global river area. Booming reservoir constructions, mostly skewed in Asia and South America, contributed to ~32% of the river widening. The remaining hydrological signals were characterized by contrasting hotspots, including prominent river widening in alpine and pan-Arctic regions and narrowing in the arid/semi-arid continental interiors, driven by varying trends in climate forcing, cryospheric response to warming, and human water management. Our findings suggest that the recent river extent dynamics diverge based on hydroclimate and socio-economic conditions, and besides reflecting ongoing morphodynamical processes, river extent changes show close connections with external forcings, including climate change and anthropogenic interference.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37061-3

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