News Climate

Rivers may gush under sullied skies

Air pollution can dim sunlight and curb evaporation

haze of pollution

NOT-SO-CLEAR SKIES  The haze of pollution may rein in evaporation, raising water levels in rivers like the Danube (shown), a new study concludes.

deadmind/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

By Beth Mole

- More than 2 years ago

Swollen rivers may be the unexpected fallout of billowing smog.

By intercepting sunshine and shading the Earth, polluting particles can stifle evaporation, leaving extra water to flood local waterways.