Weng et al. (2026) Hydrological regimes and drainage systems of aerial rivers across South America

Identification

• Journal: Nature Communications
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-03
• Authors: Wei Weng, Ho Tin Hung, Kai‐Chih Tseng, Li-Pen Wang, Yun-Man Hsu, Min‐Hui Lo, Luís Costa, Vincent Dubreuil
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76303-y

Research Groups

• Department of Geography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
• Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
• Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
• World Benchmarking Alliance, Amsterdam, 1012TM, the Netherlands.
• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, 14412, Germany
• Université Rennes 2, CNRS, UMR 6554 LETG, Rennes, 35043 Rennes Cedex, France

Short Summary

This study analyzes the drainage patterns of aerial rivers across South America and develops a mathematical method to identify turning points in moisture drainage curves. The research reveals four distinct drainage types, each characterized by a specific range of turning point thresholds, and provides insights into the management of aerial rivers for regional water resources.

Objective

• Research question or principal hypothesis: To develop a systematic approach to identify critical upwind basins and their role in sustaining regional rainfall through aerial rivers.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental scale across South America.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term, integrating dynamic variations in wind over climatological timescales.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Lagrangian specification of motion tracing to examine conditions of aerial rivers.
• Data sources: Satellite data, observation, reanalysis.

Main Results

• Key findings:
  • Four distinct drainage types (G1, G2, G3, G4) are identified based on the turning points of moisture drainage curves.
  • Critical upwind basins decrease in size and dominance as aerial rivers move inland from G1 to G4.
  • Aerial river delivery intensity declines at the G2-G3 transition, analogous to river outfall regions.

Contributions

• Original value of the article with respect to existing literature: The study provides a systematic approach to identify critical upwind basins and their role in sustaining regional rainfall through aerial rivers, advancing our understanding of aerial river characteristics and their connections with broader ecological systems.

Funding

• List projects, programs, and reference codes that funded this research:
  • Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Weng2026Hydrological,
  author = {Weng, Wei and Fu, Ping and Hung, Ho Tin and Tseng, Kai‐Chih and Wang, Li-Pen and Hsu, Yun-Man and Lo, Min‐Hui and Costa, Luís and Dubreuil, Vincent},
  title = {Hydrological regimes and drainage systems of aerial rivers across South America},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-76303-y},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76303-y}
}