GRIT remaps the world's rivers, branching into the unknown to aid global flood modeling

[Lurker]

 

The most comprehensive map of the world's rivers has been constructed by a group of academics at the University of Oxford. This map represents a significant step forward in terms of flood forecasting, climate risk planning, and water resource management in a world that is warming.

 The new research, which was published in the journal Water Resources Research, features the introduction of GRIT, a mapping method that ultimately demonstrates how rivers actually flow, branch, and connect landscapes.

 Rivers are essential to existence, but they also present an increasing menace.  It is anticipated that floods would become more frequent and severe in many regions of the world as a result of the increasing irregular nature of rainfall and the rising levels of the ocean.  According to the assumption that rivers flow in a single direction and never split, the global river maps that are now in existence are both out of date and unnecessarily simplistic.  They frequently fail to take into account intricate details, such as the scenario in which a single river channel divides into many channels.

 These branching river systems are significant due to the fact that they are frequently located in locations that are prone to flooding and have a high population density. Furthermore, they are essential for comprehending the movement of water across the surface of the Earth.

 A new worldwide river network known as worldwide River Topology (GRIT) has been developed by the team in order to solve this restriction of existing river maps that are used for water management and flood prediction. This network incorporates these branching rivers and massive canals, which captures the complexity of the situation.

 By merging high-resolution satellite imagery of rivers with enhanced elevation data of the Earth's surface, the Global River Information System (GRIT) was developed.  Along with the main river courses, the GRIT also gives information on the sizes of rivers, the directions in which rivers flow, and the sites where rivers break.

 The overall length of the GRIT river network is 19.6 million kilometers, and it contains 67 thousand streams that split off from one another.  In the fields of hydrology, ecology, geomorphology, and flood control, GRIT has the potential to greatly improve application capabilities.

 "We needed a global map that reflects the way rivers 'actually' behave," said Dr. Michel Wortmann, who developed GRIT at Oxford as a Research Associate on the EvoFLOOD project. "We needed a map that reflects the way all rivers behave."  The assumption that rivers just flow in a downward direction in a straight line is not sufficient, particularly when we are attempting to forecast floods, comprehend ecosystems, or make preparations for the effects of climate change.  This map depicts the entirety of the complexity that exists among the world's rivers.

 A significant advance in the forecast of floods and the protection against climate change
 Despite the fact that rivers are essential to ecosystems and human existence, they are becoming increasingly hazardous as a result of climate change, particularly when it comes to flooding.  In order to get ready, it is necessary for governments and scientists to have an understanding of where water is likely to move on a big scale.  Through the use of GRIT, a significantly more comprehensive perspective of water movement may be obtained, which contributes to the enhancement of flood models, water management systems, and disaster preparation.

 Additionally, the new river network provides assistance for the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) models that are global in scope and may be used to predict flooding, drought, water quality, habitat conservation, and natural hazards.

 Despite the fact that GRIT already represents a significant step forward, the Oxford team emphasizes that this is only the beginning.

 "GRIT has been built to evolve," professor of hydroclimatology at the University of Oxford Louise Slater said. "GRIT has been built to evolve."  "Because it's fully automated, in contrast with previous global networks, we can keep updating it with the latest satellite images and topographic data, to understand shifts in the rivers and landscape."

link:

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024WR038308

 

data:

https://zenodo.org/records/7629908