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The figure(s) below are from 2013 draft US National Climate Assessment.
Rivers Discharge 48-04 - Dai+ 1108
from Dai's "Rivers Discharge, 1948-2004 - Dai 1108".
Vobs is the river volume, in cubic kilometers per year, at the station indicated.
bobs is the trend per year over the 1945-2005 period. Bold is statistically significant. Negative is decreasing flow trend.
Articles
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Climate Warning as World’s Rivers Dry Up at Fastest Rate for 30 Years 1024
Dramatic Shrinking of Major Amazon Rivers 0924 - including most tributaries
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Drought-Hit Danube River Reveals Scuttled German World War II Ships 0924
In Brazil’s Worst Drought, Wildfires Rage and Amazon River Hits Record Low 0924
Humans May Be Turning Rivers from Carbon Sinks into Carbon Sources 0624
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Drought Threatens to Snarl Mississippi River Traffic for 3rd Year 0324
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In Brazil’s Amazon, Rivers Fall to Record Low Levels during Drought 1023
Record-Low Mississippi and Ohio River Levels 1023
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The Mississippi River and Its Tributaries Have Dropped to Record Lows 1022
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Drought, Climate Change Are Drying Up North America’s Bodies of Water 1022
Drifting Toward Disaster - the (2nd) Rio Grande 0922
Could the Drying Up of Europe’s Great Rivers Be the New Normal? 0922
The World’s Rivers, Canals, and Reservoirs Are Turning to Dust 0822
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Europe’s Rhine River Is on the Brink of Effectively Closing 0822
Source of River Thames Dries Out ‘for 1st Time’ during Drought 0822
The Vanishing Rio Grande – Warming Takes Its Toll 0622
The Paraná River, South America’s Economic Lifeline, Is Shriveling 0921
60% of World’s Rivers Stop Flowing for at Least One Day a Year 0621
Climate Change Is Altering Rivers around the World 0321
River Flows All Across the Globe Are Dropping 1019
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The World's Supply of Fresh Water Is in Trouble, as Mountain Ice Vanishes 1219
Thirst Turns to Anger as Australia's Mighty River Runs Dry 1019
1st-Ever Mandatory Water Cutbacks to Start Next Year along the Colorado River 0819
Scientists Warn of Lower Water Supply due to Melting Glaciers after 2060 - 1118
A Hot Drought' - Warming Is Driving Much of the Colorado River's Decline 0918
Catastrophic' Floods Rising on Amazon River 0918
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Ganges under Threat from Climate Change 1017
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How Climate Change Might Affect the Nile 0817
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Western Water Crunch Has Climate Change Fingerprints 0417
Parched Lanzhou, China Plans to Pipe Water 1,000 Km from Russia’s Lake Baikal 0317
Congo Risks 50% Power Drop, due to Low Rainfall, Record Low Congo River 0317
Source of Mekong, Yellow and Yangtze Rivers Drying Up 0317
Global Warming Is Shrinking Colorado River, Vital to 40 Million People 0217
Montana’s Rivers Are Warmer than They Should Be - Bad News for Trout 0716
Wildlife Dying En Masse as South American River Runs Dry 0716
India to ‘Divert Rivers' to Tackle Drought 0516
Lao Hydro Dam to Seriously Affect Vietnam’s Mekong Delta 1214
Clear Skies Could Empty Rivers 1014
Climate Change Reflected in Altered Missouri River Flow, USGS Says 0814
Rio Grande May Hit 40-Year Low 0414
River Thames Breaks January Records for Water Flows 0214
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Russia Evacuates 19,000 from Flooded Far East 0813
Ecologists Link Far East Floods to Global Warming 0813
Warming Bad for Life in Freshwater Lakes and Rivers 0613
Canada's 'Northern Amazon' on the Brink 0613
Climate Change Impact on Stream Flow Varies by Location 0213
Engineers Clear Rocks from Dried Mississippi 1212
Water Piped to Denver Could Ease Stress on River 1212
Mississippi River Drops to 3 Feet 1212
Mississippi River Faces Shipping Freeze as Water Levels Drop 1212
Climate Change to Reduce US Southwest Water Supply 0411
Mean Monthly Ganges Discharge 1210.webarc
Earth's Water Cycle is Changing Rapidly 1010
Floods and Mudslides on 3 Continents 0810
Climate Change Impact on Stream Flow Varies by Location 0213
Dai's 1108 graphs above show that flows in the Ganges/Brahmaputra and Mekong Rivers approach zero (8% of peak) during the dry season. The Indus, Yellow, Salween, and Irawaddy Rivers face similar problems. All depend heavily on monsoon rains, but during the dry season on meltwater from the Himalayas. The same can be said, but more weakly, of the Changjiang (Yangtze River). This makes them vulnerable to running out of water during years when flow is low, or when Himalayn glaciers vanish.
Flows also are very low (4-8% of peak) in the Yenisey and Lena rivers, during the frozen season. Flows change more for the Orinoco River between the rainy and dry seasons than they do for the Amazon. Flows in the Congo and Parana Rivers are not very sensitive to season, and Amazon flows only somewhat more sensitive.
Typical monthly river basin precipitation and flows for the world's 10 largest rivers, by volume.
Left axis is for flows, right axis for precipitation.
Year-to-year variability ranges from 6:1 for the Uruguay River and 3:1 for the Mississippi, Niger and Xi Rivers, to 1.4:1 for the Amazon River. Years with low water flows in some rivers leave them at risk of running dry.
Dai's graphs below show annual discharge into the world's ocean basins. Discharge into the Arctic Ocean rose, while into the Pacific and Indian Oceans it fell.
River Runoff & Evaporate - Dai 1202 - PDF
from Changing Northeast Climate - UCS 1006, for Northeast US
Section Map: Water
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