#free-flowing

Free-flowing rivers are an endangered species on Earth. Only about a third of the world’s longest rivers still flow freely along their entire lengths, unchained by dams or reservoirs, scientists report in the May 9 Nature.

The study is the first global map of river “connectivity,” the ability of river water to move freely downstream, across floodplains and into and out of aquifers throughout the year. Connectivity signals river health, and is vital to protect freshwater biodiversity, support fish stocks and deliver sediment to coastal regions threatened by rising seas.

The team, led by geographer Günther Grill of McGill University in Montreal, used satellite data to map 12 million kilometers of rivers around the globe. Of the planet’s 246 rivers that are longer than 1,000 kilometers, only 37 percent still run free, the team found.

Most of the remaining free-flowing rivers are in more remote parts of the world, such as Canada’s Liard River in the Arctic and Zambia’s Luangwa in the Congo Basin.

The Mekong River, the world’s 12th-longest river, has many dams upstream, but much of the lower Mekong still flows freely, allowing sediments, fish and nutrients to move freely. But two proposed hydropower projects in Cambodia could be the “final straw,” hampering the lower Mekong’s flow, researchers say. The river is a key source of fish for people in countries such as Laos (shown) and Cambodia. CREDIT: © Nicolas Axelrod, Ruom, WWF-Greater Mekong

Mangroves and sustainable shrimp farms ring Isla Escalante in Ecuador, near where the Rio Guayas, the national river of Ecuador, flows west into the Pacific Ocean. The farms rely on the river’s health and its ability to flow naturally. CREDIT: © Antonio Busiello, WWF-US

This newly constructed hydropower dam on the Congo River, the second-longest in Africa after the Nile, may be a sign of things to come, as several large hydropower projects are planned for the fast-flowing river.  CREDIT: © Jaap van der Waarde, WWF-Netherlands

Leon Flames is a rapper and hip hop artist born and raised in South London. With a background in rap battles and a reputation for lyrics writing, its through his single Stalin’s Lapel that we’re coming to his music. (more…)

Church.

New Music: OSP – Iyah

OSP are a Reading-based hip-hop collective who I first discovered for the blog back in March this year through their woozy track Fill It Up. Now they’re back with a groovy new one. It’s called Iyah. (more…)

New Music: Genra – Leaving

Genra, real name John Gilchrist, is an Oakland, California-based hip hop artist who I’ve featured a couple of times before on the blog. His latest single, a bold, bright treatise on modern life is taken from his new album Overcomer. It’s called Leaving. (more…)

New Music: Genra – What You Want

Genra is a Californian hip hop artist who I first discovered around this time last year. Though it’s been a year, he’s not been resting on his laurels and his new track What You Want has the same free-flowing verses and creativity I’ve come to expect from him. (more…)