Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are long, narrow corridors of moisture. They are an atmospheric phenomenon that transport massive amounts of water vapor across the globe. While they replenish water supplies and sustain ecosystems, ARs also pose significant flood risks, especially as climate change intensifies their impact. Recent studies indicate ARs are becoming more powerful, with increasing moisture transport and precipitation.
Space technologies such as radio occultation (GNSS RO), passive microwave imager (e.g. SSMI/S), optical imagers (e.g. MODIS) and geostationary sensors (e.g. GOES) detect Ars, track their evolution and feed global forecast models. This article additionally outlines operational efforts such as Atmospheric River Reconnaissance and Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations, where satellite-supported forecasts have been used to adjust reservoir releases and improve water storage without increasing flood risk. With a warming climate expected to increase the moisture carried by ARs, communities from coastal cities to mountain catchments have strong reasons to car. Better satellite data turns an invisible driver of both drought relief and flooding into actionable information for smarter water management.
