“The impact of climate change on seas and oceans is well studied, but floods, heavy precipitation, and warming temperatures have a more immediate impact on rivers and streams. They not only change the amount of water in rivers and streams, they also affect the amount of sediment and contaminants being washed out from the land that impact water quality. All our tap water comes from rivers and streams—the more contaminants there are, the longer it takes for water treatment plants to filter out solids and the more energy they use. Water quality also affects the health of fish and other aquatic animals.

“We studied the impact of climate change on close to 800 rivers in Central Europe and the U.S., looking at water temperature and dissolved oxygen, which aquatic creatures use to breathe and is a key indicator of water quality. We found that the decrease in dissolved oxygen levels and the increase in water temperature is actually happening faster than in ocean systems. River water temperature is also being affected by the heating up of surrounding land, especially if it has no vegetation.

“While waiting for specific climate regulation for rivers and streams, we should focus on protecting the land around inland water from extreme climatic events. Helping farmers better manage their agricultural practices, for example, to minimize soil erosion. In urban areas, we can put in place systems to reduce floodwater flushing into rivers and streams in short periods of time and expand green roofs that prevent surface water runoff.”