Rivers are important to society for the resources they provide and, on occasion, as hazards. A lot of research has therefore focused on the impacts of projected climate change on rivers. Climate has effects on many of the processes that determine river flows, as well as on water quality, and on riverine ecosystems and how they function. However, in some cases climatic effects can be difficult to distinguish from background variability and other causes of change such as modifications to land use. This Environment Today examines how global warming is affecting rivers all over the world and assesses some of the possible implications.
An overall increase in air temperature will increase evaporation rates at the Earth’s surface and transpiration by plants, leading to a reduction in runoff and therefore in river f low. Rivers fed by the melting of snow or glaciers are expected to experience a decline in meltwater but river flows will also be affected by changes in precipitation amounts and patterns, the intensity and duration of storms, their timing and the type of precipitation involved.
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