Commentary in 2012

Multiple factors determine how much water is and will be available in the river basins of Asia. To expose hotspots and help adaptation, these factors must be assessed together at the basin level.

River regulation and sea-level rise have damaged deltaic ecosystems as well as the sedimentological processes that support them. More scientific effort needs to be directed towards restoring land-building processes in our vanishing deltas.

Estimates of stream and river area have relied on observations at coarse resolution. Consideration of the smallest and most dynamic streams could reveal a greater role for river networks in global biogeochemical cycling than previously thought.

Human activities increasingly lead to climate change, overuse of water, hazards and the destruction of biodiversity — to name just a few. Earth scientists need to take on the challenge of serving society on these issues, in close collaboration with engineering, social sciences and the humanities.

Mountain roads and trails are proliferating throughout developing southeast Asia. The long-term consequences of associated landslides and surface erosion on downstream aquatic environments could be severe, but are largely unrecognized.