Over decades, scientists have known that dams alter river flow, sediment transport and fish migration; a new study using satellite-based thermal imagery has now revealed that dams also reshape the seasonal temperature patterns of rivers on a much broader scale than was previously known. The study, published in Science Advances, analyses thermal infrared satellite imagery from hundreds of rivers across the continental United States. Researchers found that the reservoirs behind dams modify the natural heating and cooling cycles of rivers, producing temperature changes which can likely extend well beyond the dam itself. Moreover, these findings indicate that dams influence river ecosystems not just by changing water flow but also by reorganising the thermal environment that aquatic species rely on.
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