Saturday, October 8, 2011

ISSUE NO. 7: Why Rivers Need to Flow - High and Low - Again ??

Why Rivers Need to Flow - High and Low - Again ??

Don't be surprised if the next time you head down to a river with a fishing pole you pull up a lowly carp instead of a prized native trout. Most rivers no longer flow the way they're supposed to flow -- and that's changing the mix of fish and other organisms that call them home.

That's a key finding of the most extensive study ever done of changes in river flows across the United States. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) examined flow patterns at 2,888 river locations and compared what they found with the flows they'd expect to find under natural conditions. They focused on changes in the magnitude of flows--the highs and lows that are so crucial to giving river creatures the habitats and life-cycle cues they need to survive.

Prepared by Saleem Butti

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