Global network is launched to monitor isotopes in rivers

The Global Network of Isotopes in Rivers (GNIR), launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2007, compiles water isotope data on rivers to complement the 45‐year‐old IAEA/World Meteorological Organization (WMO) global network of isotopes in precipitation (GNIP). River runoff carries an integrated memory of hydrological processes in a basin. Recent studies [e.g., Vörösmarty and Meybeck , 2004] suggest that the impacts of storages, diversions, and redirection of streamflow for water supply, hydropower, and irrigation might surpass the impact of recent and anticipated future climate changes on river runoff. Consequences of these effects include changes in the frequency and extent of flooding, increased sediment load, altered groundwater recharge, and degradation of water quality and riparian ecosystems. These consequences often result in political disputes or upstream‐downstream inequities. GNIR aims to provide an improved understanding of stream/aquifer interactions, the impacts of climate changes on river runoff, and especially human impacts on river discharge with the use of isotope data.