Estimates of Freshwater Discharge from Continents: Latitudinal and Seasonal Variations

Annual and monthly mean values of continental freshwater discharge into the oceans are estimated at 1 resolution using several methods. The most accurate estimate is based on streamflow data from the world's largest 921 rivers, supplemented with estimates of discharge from unmonitored areas based on the ratios of runoff and drainage area between the unmonitored and monitored regions. Simulations using a river transport model (RTM) forced by a runoff field were used to derive the river mouth outflow from the farthest downstream gauge records. Separate estimates are also made using RTM simulations forced by three different runoff fields: 1) based on observed streamflow and a water balance model, and from…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• NC
  National Center for Atmospheric Research
• NO
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration