The Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people as it snakes through seven U.S. states, including the part of southeastern Utah seen in this photo snapped by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. The Colorado basin was identified in a NASA-led study as a region experiencing intense human water use.. They're woven across the globe in intricate networks, ferrying life-sustaining freshwater around the world.
River speeds are also hard to determine based on conventional"back of the envelope" formulas that are based on in-situ measurements from 50 years ago, David told Space.com.
The new dataset, which covers 30 percent of the planet, consists of in-situ measurements and computer models accounting for nearly 3 million river segments worldwide. It also brings to light rivers that have depleted due to overuse by humans.