Newly available satellite data show just how flawed some river models can be

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Newly available satellite observations are being used to assess the accuracy of river models, which underpin decisions about water availability, climate impacts, and hydropower operations. Hydrologist Colin Gleason says global validation has been difficult because it is impractical to measure every river directly.

"Is there enough water? What's happening with climate change? How do I operate my hydro plant? In a world of water problems, there are problems that we need a good model to solve," says Colin Gleason, a hydrologist in the Riccio College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. But the models are only as good as the math that they're based on, and short of measuring every river in the world, there is no way to check this on a global scale.