Featured
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Article |
RETRACTED ARTICLE: A 10 per cent increase in global land evapotranspiration from 2003 to 2019
Using a global mass-balance approach to calculate evapotranspiration, it is shown that global land evapotranspiration increased by 10% between 2003 and 2019, driven mainly by warming land temperatures.
- Madeleine Pascolini-Campbell
- , John T. Reager
- & Matthew Rodell
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Article |
Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century
Analysis of satellite stereo imagery uncovers two decades of mass change for all of Earth’s glaciers, revealing accelerated glacier shrinkage and regionally contrasting changes consistent with decadal climate variability.
- Romain Hugonnet
- , Robert McNabb
- & Andreas Kääb
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Article |
Overriding water table control on managed peatland greenhouse gas emissions
Halving average drainage depths in agricultural peatlands could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 1 per cent of all anthropogenic emissions.
- C. D. Evans
- , M. Peacock
- & R. Morrison
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Article |
Widespread potential loss of streamflow into underlying aquifers across the USA
Direct observations of 4.2 million wells across the USA indicate that many streams are potentially losing water to underlying aquifers.
- Scott Jasechko
- , Hansjörg Seybold
- & James W. Kirchner
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Article |
Human alteration of global surface water storage variability
Data from the ICESat-2 satellite quantifying the variability of water levels in natural and human-managed water bodies show that a disproportionate majority of global water storage variability occurs in human-managed reservoirs.
- Sarah W. Cooley
- , Jonathan C. Ryan
- & Laurence C. Smith
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News & Views |
The Arctic Ocean might have been filled with freshwater during ice ages
A geochemical study of sediments suggests that, during recent glacial periods, the Arctic Ocean was completely isolated from the world ocean, with fresh water filling the basin for thousands of years.
- Sharon Hoffmann
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Article |
Glacial episodes of a freshwater Arctic Ocean covered by a thick ice shelf
Unexpected intervals of low 230Th concentration in marine sediment cores are explained by considering that during at least two such periods, the Arctic Ocean and Nordic seas were composed entirely of fresh water and covered by a thick ice shelf.
- Walter Geibert
- , Jens Matthiessen
- & Ruediger Stein
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Research Highlight |
Colour me beautiful: US rivers try a new hue
In the past 35 years, some US waterways have become greener and others yellower, providing clues to ecosystem health.
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News & Views |
European rivers are fragmented by many more barriers than had been recorded
An atlas of European river barriers has been made, by curating and correcting existing records, and by surveying 2,700 kilometres of waterways. It reveals that rivers are fragmented by an amazing number of obstructions.
- Christiane Zarfl
- & Bernhard Lehner
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Article |
Maximizing US nitrate removal through wetland protection and restoration
Analysis of US continental wetland inventory data combined with model simulations indicate that a spatially targeted 10% increase in wetland area could double wetland nitrogen removal.
- F. Y. Cheng
- , K. J. Van Meter
- & N. B. Basu
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Article |
More than one million barriers fragment Europe’s rivers
Validated barrier inventories and modelling indicate that Europe’s rivers are fragmented by more than one million barriers, such as dams, weirs and fords, causing major impacts on biodiversity.
- Barbara Belletti
- , Carlos Garcia de Leaniz
- & Maciej Zalewski
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Research Highlight |
Scientists’ drill accidentally unleashes a flood of icy water — and data
A borehole in an ice cap gives researchers an unexpected close-up of a glacial flood, or jökulhlaup.
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Research Highlight |
Famed geyser Old Faithful went quiet in drought’s grip
Future climate change could slow the eruptions of the legendary volcanic spring.
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News & Views |
Five centuries of human observation reveal Europe’s flood history
Europe’s rich heritage of historical documents has been used to reconstruct the flooding history of the continent for the past five centuries. This could help policymakers to develop flood-management strategies for the future.
- Francis Ludlow
- & Rhonda McGovern
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Article |
Current European flood-rich period exceptional compared with past 500 years
Analysis of thousands of historical documents recording floods in Europe shows that flooding characteristics in recent decades are unlike those of previous centuries.
- Günter Blöschl
- , Andrea Kiss
- & Oliver Wetter
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Research Highlight |
Human thirst set to draw down mountains’ water banks
One-quarter of the global lowland population could depend on water from higher elevations by mid-century.
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Article |
Patterns and trends of Northern Hemisphere snow mass from 1980 to 2018
Applying a bias correction to a state-of-the-art dataset covering non-alpine regions of the Northern Hemisphere and to three other datasets yields a more constrained quantification of snow mass in March from 1980 to 2018.
- Jouni Pulliainen
- , Kari Luojus
- & Johannes Norberg
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News & Views |
When it rains, lava pours
Early 2018 saw unusually heavy rainfall in Hawaii. Modelling now suggests that groundwater pressure increased owing to rainfall: this might have triggered changes in the eruption of the island’s Kīlauea volcano.
- Michael Manga
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Matters Arising |
Streamflow response to forest management
- James W. Kirchner
- , Wouter R. Berghuijs
- & Donna M. Rizzo
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Research Highlight |
Cuba’s rivers run clean after decades of sustainable farming
The island’s waterways have lower levels of fertilizer-linked pollution than the Mississippi River in the United States.
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News & Views |
Human activities have changed the shapes of river deltas
A model has been devised that quantitatively describes how the shape of a river delta is affected by sediments, tides and waves. It reveals that the area of delta land is increasing globally, as a result of human activities upstream.
- Nick van de Giesen
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Article |
Global-scale human impact on delta morphology has led to net land area gain
A global study of river deltas shows a net increase in delta area by about 54 km2 yr−1 over the past 30 years, in part due to deforestation-induced sediment delivery increase.
- J. H. Nienhuis
- , A. D. Ashton
- & T. E. Törnqvist
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Article |
The past and future of global river ice
An analysis based on Landsat imagery shows that the extent of river ice has declined extensively over past decades and that this trend will continue under future global warming.
- Xiao Yang
- , Tamlin M. Pavelsky
- & George H. Allen
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Article |
Importance and vulnerability of the world’s water towers
The worldwide distribution and water supply of water towers (snowy or glacierized mountain ranges) is indexed, showing that the most important water towers are also the most vulnerable to socio-economic and climate-change stresses, with huge potential negative impacts on populations downstream.
- W. W. Immerzeel
- , A. F. Lutz
- & J. E. M. Baillie
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Research Highlight |
The meandering rivers that speed across barren landscapes
Today’s waterways could illuminate how ancient rivers helped to set the stage for life on land.
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Where I Work |
Engineering a dream workspace
A sediment scientist rebuilt his entire lab to model how water shapes underwater canyons.
- Kendall Powell
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Article |
Large hydropower and water-storage potential in future glacier-free basins
Glacierized regions that are projected to become ice-free in this century could provide substantial water storage and hydroelectric power, according to this worldwide theoretical assessment.
- Daniel Farinotti
- , Vanessa Round
- & Harry Zekollari
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Editorial |
Let independent panel shape Africa’s largest hydropower dam
Researchers are assessing the environmental risks posed by a dam on the Nile. The countries involved should let them finish the job.
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Letter |
Environmental flow limits to global groundwater pumping
Estimates for when critical environmental streamflow limits will be reached—with potentially devastating economic and environmental effects—are obtained using a global model that links groundwater pumping with the groundwater flow to rivers.
- Inge E. M. de Graaf
- , Tom Gleeson
- & Marc F. P. Bierkens
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Letter |
Aridity is expressed in river topography globally
A global dataset of river longitudinal profiles shows that river profiles become straighter with increasing aridity and numerical modelling suggests that this can be explained by rainfall–runoff regimes in different climate zones.
- Shiuan-An Chen
- , Katerina Michaelides
- & Michael Bliss Singer
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News Feature |
A land without water: the scramble to stop Jordan from running dry
Climate change, a wave of refugees and poor planning are draining water supplies in Jordan.
- Elizabeth Whitman
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Letter |
Changing climate both increases and decreases European river floods
Analysis of a comprehensive European flood dataset reveals regional changes in river flood discharges in the past five decades that are consistent with models suggesting that climate-driven changes are already happening.
- Günter Blöschl
- , Julia Hall
- & Nenad Živković
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News & Views |
The future of groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa
An analysis of aquifer replenishment in sub-Saharan Africa shows that reduced precipitation does not always deplete groundwater reserves, challenging the idea that these reserves will decrease in response to global warming.
- Richard W. Healy
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Letter |
Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa
Analysis of multidecadal hydrograph and precipitation data for sub-Saharan Africa shows a complex relationship between groundwater recharge and precipitation, and that a drier climate does not necessarily mean less recharge.
- Mark O. Cuthbert
- , Richard G. Taylor
- & Neno Kukuric
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Correspondence |
A new World Heritage site for Aboriginal engineering
- Damein Bell
- , Lawrence Molloy
- & Martin Tomko
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Comment |
Prepare river ecosystems for an uncertain future
As the climate warms, we can’t restore waterways to pristine condition, but models can predict potential changes, argue Jonathan D. Tonkin, N. LeRoy Poff and colleagues.
- Jonathan D. Tonkin
- , N. LeRoy Poff
- & David A. Lytle
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Article |
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Global analysis of streamflow response to forest management
Analysis of forest-management studies finds that forest removal is more likely to increase streamflow in areas with greater water storage between the surface and bedrock, and that forest planting is more likely to decrease streamflow in drier climates.
- Jaivime Evaristo
- & Jeffrey J. McDonnell
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Editorial |
Look beyond the ‘retraction’ label
Retracting a manuscript can be an opportunity to revisit the topic afresh.
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Article |
Asia’s shrinking glaciers protect large populations from drought stress
Glaciers in the high mountains of Asia provide a uniquely drought-resilient source of water, supplying summer meltwater sufficient for the basic needs of around 200 million people.
- Hamish D. Pritchard
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Comment |
Deploy diverse renewables to save tropical rivers
A strategic mix of solar, wind and storage technologies around river basins would be safer and cheaper than building large dams, argue Rafael J. P. Schmitt, Noah Kittner and colleagues.
- Rafael J. P. Schmitt
- , Noah Kittner
- & Daniel M. Kammen
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News & Views |
A river that flows free connects up in 4D
Humans have altered the natural flow of rivers, adversely affecting biodiversity and the services that these watercourses provide. The mapping of millions of kilometres of rivers reveals the extent of human interference.
- N. LeRoy Poff
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Nature Podcast |
Podcast: Urban vs Rural BMI, and the health of rivers
Hear the latest science updates, brought to you by Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell.
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Article |
Mapping the world’s free-flowing rivers
A comprehensive assessment of the world’s rivers and their connectivity shows that only 37 per cent of rivers longer than 1,000 kilometres remain free-flowing over their entire length.
- G. Grill
- , B. Lehner
- & C. Zarfl
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Research Highlight |
How a river returns to life after a cataclysmic volcanic eruption
Entombed by debris nearly 40 years ago, a river in the northwestern United States runs again.
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Letter |
Self-formed bedrock waterfalls
Even in the absence of external perturbations, waterfalls can gradually form from planar bedrock riverbeds as a result of unstable interactions between flow hydraulics, sediment transport and bedrock erosion.
- Joel S. Scheingross
- , Michael P. Lamb
- & Brian M. Fuller
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Comment |
Hydropower dams can help mitigate the global warming impact of wetlands
Manage methane emissions and produce clean, cheap energy at the same time, argues Mike Muller.
- Mike Muller
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Letter |
Large influence of soil moisture on long-term terrestrial carbon uptake
Earth system models suggest that soil-moisture variability and trends will induce large carbon releases throughout the twenty-first century.
- Julia K. Green
- , Sonia I. Seneviratne
- & Pierre Gentine
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Books & Arts |
The non-stop waste of water
Margaret Catley-Carlson reflects on millennia of resource mismanagement.
- Margaret Catley-Carlson