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River water quality shaped by land–river connectivity in a changing climate

Nature Climate Change volume 14, pages 225–237 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

River water quality is crucial to ecosystem health and water security, yet its deterioration under climate change is often overlooked in climate risk assessments. Here we review how climate change influences river water quality via persistent, gradual shifts and episodic, intense extreme events. Although distinct in magnitude, intensity and duration, these changes modulate the structure and hydro-biogeochemical processes on land and in rivers, hence reshaping land–river connectivity and the quality of river waters. To advance understanding of and forecasting capabilities for water quality in future climates, it is essential to perceive land and rivers as interconnected systems. It is also vital to prioritize research under climate extremes, where the dynamics of water quality often challenge existing theories and models and call for shifts in conceptual paradigms.

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Fig. 1: A conceptual diagram illustrating the propagating influence of climate change on water quality via land–river connectivity.
Fig. 2: Dissolved oxygen and water temperature across the globe.
Fig. 3: A conceptual diagram illustrating the impacts of climate extremes on land and river structure, processes and, ultimately, water quality.
Fig. 4: The distinct impacts of gradual change and climate extremes on river water quality.

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Acknowledgements

L.L. acknowledges the support of funding from US National Science Foundation (US NSF, EAR-2012669, 2012123, 2121621, 1911960) and US Department of Energy Environmental System Science programme (US DOE ESS, DE-SC0020146). P.L.S. acknowledges the support of funding from US NSF (EAR-2231723, 1911967) and US DOE ESS (DE-SC0023312). J.P. acknowledges the support of funding from National Science Foundation (EAR-2012123). G.-H.C.N. acknowledges the support of funding from US NSF (EAR-1759071) and US DOE ESS (DE-SC0020196). L.L. acknowledges students in the Li Reactive Water Group for feedback on an early version of the paper, and M. Wu for artistic suggestions on figures.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Julia L. A. Knapp, Anna Lintern, G.-H. Crystal Ng, Julia Perdrial, Pamela L. Sullivan, Wei Zhi.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Li Li & Wei Zhi

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK

    Julia L. A. Knapp

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Anna Lintern

  4. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    G.-H. Crystal Ng

  5. GUND Institute, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

    Julia Perdrial

  6. Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

    Julia Perdrial

  7. College of Earth Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Pamela L. Sullivan

  8. The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Key Laboratory of Hydrologic-Cycle and Hydrodynamic-System of Ministry of Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China

    Wei Zhi

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L.L. initiated the first draft and finalized the paper. All co-authors equally participated in generating ideas, creating content and editing various versions of the manuscript.

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Li, L., Knapp, J.L.A., Lintern, A. et al. River water quality shaped by land–river connectivity in a changing climate. Nat. Clim. Chang. 14, 225–237 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01923-x

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