Non-perennial rivers and streams that periodically cease to flow are ubiquitous but seldom mapped, let alone monitored. Scaling models that include even the tiniest rivulets estimate that up to 78% of the world’s watercourses naturally stop flowing at least one day per year.
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Messager, M.L. Scaling laws reveal the extent of Earth’s drying headwaters. Nat Water 4, 2–3 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00565-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00565-x
