Lakes and rivers – The Watchers

Historic glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) recorded in East Greenland

Rishav Kothari — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 12:23:27 +0000

Scientists recorded one of the top three largest glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) in global history between September 23 and October 11, 2024, when Eastern Greenland’s Catalina Lake dropped by 154 m (505 feet) and released 3.4 km³ (0.82 mi³) of water into Scoresby Fjord. This marks the first time ever that researchers have monitored such an event and measured water volumes in real-time.

Source

Rapidly shrinking Salton Sea raises toxic dust concerns for nearby communities, California

Harsha Borah — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 17:27:19 +0000

The Salton Sea, California's largest inland lake, is receding faster than anticipated, primarily due to water diversions from the Colorado River to urban areas like San Diego. A recent study led by Ryan Sinclair of Loma Linda University, involving community scientists and balloon mapping techniques, has documented shoreline changes, revealing that toxic dust levels could further deteriorate air quality for nearby residents.

Source

Amazon River basin experiencing worst drought on record

Rishav Kothari — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 11:24:27 +0000

The Amazon River basin is experiencing its worst drought on record, with several riverbeds that were once waterways now drying up.

Source

South Sudan warns of widespread floods as Lake Victoria hits 128-year high

Rishav Kothari — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:27:13 +0000

South Sudan braces for the worst floods in 60 years predicted to affect an area of 65 000 km2 ( 25 000 miles2) and cause a famine affecting approximately 9 million people between June 2024 and January 2025.

Source

Mississippi, Minnesota, and Missouri rivers expected to hit highest levels in a decade

Teo Blašković — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 18:24:47 +0000

Massive flooding is impacting nearly half of Minnesota as of Thursday morning, June 27, 2024, with more than 20 river gauges across the Upper Midwest hitting major flood stage. With more rain expected, water levels on the Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers are expected to see their highest levels in a decade.

Source

Angling Trust reveals 83% of rivers in England polluted with phosphates, U.K.

TW — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 10:17:02 +0000

The Angling Trust has released the first annual Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN) report, revealing that more than 80% of rivers in England are polluted with phosphates, posing an urgent need for action against waterway pollution.

Source

DR Congo declares hydrological and ecological catastrophe

Teo Blašković — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 14:40:03 +0000

Record flooding of the Congo River has resulted in a catastrophic situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), affecting 15 provinces, leading to over 300 deaths, and impacting at least 304 000 families.

Source

Historic Tulare Lake back to life after nearly a century, California

Teo Blašković — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:33:17 +0000

Once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, Tulare Lake in California's San Joaquin Valley has reemerged due to heavy rains and snow in the first three months of 2023.

Source

Lake Shasta’s reservoir nears capacity, easing water supply concerns, California

Teo Blašković — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:39:24 +0000

The water level in Lake Shasta, California's largest reservoir, has risen significantly this month, providing relief to local residents who rely on the water source.

Source

Rhine River at Kaub drops below transit levels, Germany

Teo Blašković — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 16:41:28 +0000

On August 12, 2022, River Rhine in Kaub, Germany dropped below a key waterline level of 40 cm (15.7 inches), used as a benchmark for determining its navigability.

Source