Upper Falls in Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Michael Miller
River experts say new satellite technology holds the promise of protecting water quality around the world.
Rivers can be difficult to study because many of them are inaccessible. Even identifying them is a challenge since many rivers are bone dry for months or even years.
"Rivers, especially small streams, are very hard to define. They are variable and can be intermittent," said Dongmei Feng, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Water, hydrology experts from around the world explained how scientists can use new tools such as satellite remote sensing to study water quality and the health and stressors of all the world's rivers.
