Satellites are transforming the monitoring of freshwater flows into the Arctic Ocean, a critical but poorly observed component of the climate system.
Vast amounts of freshwater from rivers, melting ice and runoff influence ocean salinity, sea-ice formation and global circulation, yet ground-based measurements in the region are declining and remain incomplete.
By using Earth observation data, scientists from the STREAM-NEXT project have reconstructed around two decades of Arctic river discharge and runoff, revealing complex and uneven regional changes driven by warming temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns.
Read the full story on ESA EO pages.
Francesco Leopardi et al., A satellite-based approach for estimating runoff and river discharge in the Pan-Arctic region from 2003 to 2022, Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 338, 2026, 115353, ISSN 0034-4257, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115353.
Featured image : Arctic runoff 2003-2022. Credit: ESA (adapted from Leopardi F. et al., 2026)