Satellite altimetry reveals intensifying global river water level variability.

ABSTRACT: River water levels (RWLs) are fundamental to hydrology, water resource management, and disaster mitigation, yet the majority of the world's rivers remain ungauged. Here, using 46,993 virtual stations from Sentinel-3A/B altimetry (2016‒2024), we present a global assessment of RWL variability. We find a median global fluctuation of 3.76 m, with pronounced spatial patterns: significant RWL declines across Central North/South America and Western Siberia, and increases across Africa, Oceania, Eastern/Southern Asia, and Northwestern/Central Europe. Seasonality is intensifying in 68% of basins, as high RWLs become more temporally concentrated. Maximum RWLs are declining by 0.88 cm/yr, while minimum RWLs are rising by 1.43 cm/yr. This convergence is reducing seasonal amplitude globally, with the m

SUBMITTER: Fang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12847936 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature