In December, Professor Dongmei Feng published an article entitled “More Flow Upstream and Less Flow Downstream: The Changing Form and Function of Global Rivers,” in the journal Science. This groundbreaking work, also featured on CNN, revealed surprising and concerning trends in the world’s rivers. Feng reported that nearly 3 million rivers worldwide are undergoing rapid changes, with potentially severe consequences for drinking water supplies, agriculture, and flood risks.
Using a combination of satellite data and computer modeling, Feng’s group analyzed the flow of water through every river on Earth, tracking daily changes over the past 35 years. Their findings show that nearly half of the world’s largest downstream rivers (44%) have experienced annual declines in water flow. The study attributes these changes to human activities and the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis, which are altering rainfall patterns and accelerating snowmelt. Reduced flow in downstream rivers means less freshwater for drinking, irrigation, and livestock, while also increasing the risk of flooding in some areas.
Description automatically generatedRecently, Dr. Feng received a $1 million NASA grant to further her research. Leveraging data from the new Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, her team will investigate greenhouse gas exchanges between rivers and the atmosphere. This work will focus on quantifying global river discharge and the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) between rivers and the atmosphere, advancing our understanding of how rivers influence the global carbon cycle.
