New satellite observations show that some global river models struggle to account for dams, reservoirs, and other human influences, raising questions about their reliability for water planning. A new NASA satellite is revealing major flaws in the computer models scientists use to understand rivers, including waterways across the American West. Researchers found serious modeling errors in nearly 10% of the river stretches they studied worldwide. But those errors often occurred in waterways that are especially important for managing water supplies, generating hydropower, and preparing for climate change. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, compared global river models with observations from NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite. In some cases, the models showed rivers behaving oppositely to what the satellite observed.

Other water data news:

• Arizona Department of Water Resources: Blog: Building the foundation: ADWR’s Field Services team spans the state for data on Arizona’s water supplies