One third of the world’s mightiest rivers is drying up, says climate report

The mightiest rivers of the planet, such as the Ganges, the Niger, the Yellow river or the Colorado, are drying up, according to a study published in the Journal of Climate of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Scientists examined the registered data from 1948 to 2004 of the flow of 925 rivers, which constitute approximately 73% of the world’s supply of running water. They discovered that climatic change has impacted approximately one third of the mightiest rivers. The ones that experienced a decrease in flow more than doubled the ones that had increased water levels. Additionally, while fewer, there are also growing rivers, such as those in high latitudes close to the Arctic Ocean, which are making ice and snow melt quickly. Other rivers in Asia, such as the Brahmaputra in India and the Yangtze in China, remain stable or have registered an increased flow, but this, in turn, is generating concern for the gradual disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers. Also alarming is the fact that as the rivers’ fresh water flow decreases, the oceans grow saltier. For example, the Mississippi River’s flow decreased approximately 6%. Drinking water could be affected by these great rivers that are drying up. Their decreased flow also reduces the water available for watering, which will affect crops, and thus an entire system.