Record-breaking water temperatures at the Potomac River on July 4, 2026, are being linked to a localized fish kill in Maryland. The water temperatures reached a record high of 34.7°C (94.4°F) near Little Falls amid a record-breaking heatwave. Significant fish mortality was reported along a stretch of the river between White’s Ferry and Violette’s Lock soon after.
Rapid declines in the Caspian Sea water level are disrupting port operations, reducing oil shipments, and threatening seal and sturgeon populations, Azerbaijani officials reported on August 21, 2025.
Scientists recorded one of the top three largest glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) in global history between September 23 and October 11, 2024, when Eastern Greenland’s Catalina Lake dropped by 154 m (505 feet) and released 3.4 km³ (0.82 mi³) of water into Scoresby Fjord. This marks the first time ever that researchers have monitored such an event and measured water volumes in real-time.
The Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, is receding faster than anticipated, primarily due to water diversions from the Colorado River to urban areas like San Diego. A recent study led by Ryan Sinclair of Loma Linda University, involving community scientists and balloon mapping techniques, has documented shoreline changes, revealing that toxic dust levels could further deteriorate air quality for nearby residents.
The Amazon River basin is experiencing its worst drought on record, with several riverbeds that were once waterways now drying up.
South Sudan braces for the worst floods in 60 years predicted to affect an area of 65 000 km2 ( 25 000 miles2) and cause a famine affecting approximately 9 million people between June 2024 and January 2025.
Massive flooding is impacting nearly half of Minnesota as of Thursday morning, June 27, 2024, with more than 20 river gauges across the Upper Midwest hitting major flood stage. With more rain expected, water levels on the Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers are expected to see their highest levels in a decade.
The Angling Trust has released the first annual Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN) report, revealing that more than 80% of rivers in England are polluted with phosphates, posing an urgent need for action against waterway pollution.
Record flooding of the Congo River has resulted in a catastrophic situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), affecting 15 provinces, leading to over 300 deaths, and impacting at least 304 000 families.
Once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, Tulare Lake in California’s San Joaquin Valley has reemerged due to heavy rains and snow in the first three months of 2023.
