Drought Causes Yangtze – China’s Most Important River – To Dry Up

Drought Yangtze River

Satellite images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission show a comparison of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, near Chongqing, over the last three years. Higher than normal temperatures increase the evapotranspiration of the river’s waters and, together with missing precipitation, result in lower water levels and sediment transportation downstream, which explains the significant color difference of the Yangtze in the August 21, 2022, acquisition. Several areas of dry and exposed riverbed can also be seen west of Chongqing. Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2020-22), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

A record-breaking drought has caused parts of the Yangtze River to dry up – affecting hydropower, shipping routes, limiting drinking water supplies, and even revealing previously submerged Buddhist statues.

As China’s most important river, the Yangtze provides water to more than 400 million Chinese people. This summer, with rainfall in the Yangtze basin around 45% lower than normal, it reached record-low water levels with entire sections and dozens of tributaries drying up. The loss of water flow to China’s extensive hydropower system has created problems in Sichuan, which receives more than 80% of its energy from hydropower.

The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows 3,900 miles (6,300 km) in a generally easterly direction to the East China Sea.

Satellite images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission show a comparison of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, near Chongqing, over the last three years. Higher than normal temperatures increase the evapotranspiration of the river’s waters and, together with missing precipitation, result in lower water levels and sediment transportation downstream, which explains the significant color difference of the Yangtze in the August 21, 2022, acquisition. Several areas of dry and exposed riverbed can also be seen west of Chongqing.

Major rivers around the world are drying up as record-breaking heatwaves take their toll, including the Rhine and Po rivers in Europe as well as the Colorado River in the United States. Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission to supply the coverage and data delivery needed for Europe’s Copernicus program.

The mission’s frequent revisits over the same area and high spatial resolution allow changes in water bodies to be closely monitored, as well as measuring turbidity – giving a clear indication of the health and pollution levels of rivers around the world.

15 Comments on "Drought Causes Yangtze – China’s Most Important River – To Dry Up"

  1. The revelation from the bible is true. This is the rudimentary situation in the world today. So everybody must be prepared for what happened to this earth. Only the almighty God from heaven above knows everything because he is one who created everything. We pray, pray and pray for our salvation.

    • Amen! For through Him are we saved from sin. Sin prevails throughout humanity, leaving the mind depraved and weak. For how do we live without the Lord? Repent oh ye sinners!

    • Israel Hernandez | August 29, 2022 at 3:23 am | Reply

      Really! Mythology, superstition and incoherent biblical bull shhhht is your reasoning? Or rather irrational conclusion? Seriously, no wonder we ares damned. With so many delusional freaks relying on mythical deities or supernatural creatures to our complex issues, it’s no wonder we’re so screwed. Get a life Gil Tala, or better yet, get a damn functioning brain!

    • “…And when you pray, go into your closet and shut the door. Pray to the father in secret and he will reward you openly. Those who pray in the marketplace, to be admired for thier piety, already have thier reward.”

      J.C, in the sixth chapter of Matthew. The warm up act to the sermon on the mount and the lords prayer. The words that got him crucified. The words he came to Earth to say. I would think you would know them by heart.

  2. No god, just physics.

  3. Burn churches for warmth | August 28, 2022 at 2:36 pm | Reply

    God?…Like the Christian one?…the “all knowing earth is a flat glass dome covered table” god?…that one?…hahahaha I don’t know if that fella can help ya…

  4. Well Gill, it has something to do with sin – oil companies denial of the reality of global warming to serve their greed.
    Can you imagine being willing to sacrifice a stable climate, for money.

  5. Yeah… I also struggle with the concept of God… but perhaps because I’m too small minded… however… it will be funny 5o see the smugness wiped off the faces of those same non believers if… or when they tremble before their creator. Maybe God does not exist… congratulations.. you are then assured to simply end your existence… at best… as worm poop or some other substance. Congrats smug guy… you have nothing to look forward to when you die other than to not exist in any sentint way… or… even worse… your wrong and suffer an eternity in HELL.
    I am not as brave as you… I am just a combat veteran having served my time trying not to become meat….
    Its funny though… how so many people… intelligent men and women… their opinions differ from ours. I am actually sorry/and sad that I have not found God…
    Maybe… the reason you feel the need to criticize the belief of others though… is that you even less perceptive than they are… at least they have hope… what does your science say about the power of that? What hope can you boast in having? Enjoy your hollow shell… and the emptiness that makes you suffer so badly that you feel the need to belittle people who enjoy some hope that this isn’t the end all… because… the people here suck.. their predatory, or perhaps even parasitic nature leaves little room for a lasting hope for humanities future.
    Maybe your science will one day allow you to live forever… yeah… forever in that same misery which causes you to berate others simply because they dare beleive something better may exist.
    Or maybe science will one day cure your need to act this way…?? No… yeah I also doubt it.
    Enjoy your day…days… what few you have until you learn.. if… your right or wrong about the existence of a creator. Hope God doesn’t hold a grudge if they do exist… maybe… God will be kind and only make you a public servant or dung beetle…

  6. To Israel Hernandez: “To whom will you liken God…have you not known? Have you not heard?…have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?…It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers…”
    (Isa 40:18,21-22). It would help if you knew the Bible.

  7. What you sow, so shall you reap!
    Plain & Simple !!!

  8. When the Euphrates River dries up is when it really hits the fan.. Look it up Revelation 16:12…repent while there is still time..Jesus died for our sins that we might have a relationship with Almighty God..the Bible is real..the prophetic signs are there pray God will open your heart and eyes to see and receive the TRUTH…

  9. Dios es todopoderoso….I LOVE GOD… WHEN YOU FEEL EMPTY IN YOUR HEART …. HE IS THERE FOR YOU…..

  10. Many years ago in an exhibit, it explained that Earth has the same amount of water since Earths creation. Water just goes to different areas of Earth or to a different form (solid, clouds or liquid). This ridiculous global warming agenda is impossible. It can be called climate redistribution and it would make more sense. The water is there and in the same quantities just not in the same places. When these agenda prone articles are printed as science they need to address this fact. Where did the water go? If global warming were true then we would be totally flooded and we are not. If the drought is in the China rivers then where did the water in those rivers go? The clouds? That then the wind blew to another country that is benefiting from the water taken out of the China rivers? The Earth is a living, changing and breathing globe. It has earthquakes, floods, droughts etc. on purpose… It’s alive! So there is constant change just not in a very short period. That’s why when studying Earth cores they know that climate change has always been and always will exist. Why are we acting so dumb and fearful? And to boot pretending that we mere humans can change this fact. Let’s stop being manipulated and wake up to the real facts. Earth has always had the same amount of water PERIOD!!!! Just distributed in different places at different times.

  11. In the sixties the freaks put me into their r***ng slums because the sodomites hate and abstinent heterosexuals. They had already turned the planet to black grime. Have fun r*****s…the water that they forced me to use was beyond bizarre…

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