Many rivers worldwide stop flowing and/or dry out, with over 50% of the global river network including drying channels. This percentage is dramatically increasing because of the global climate change. Many streams and rivers that used to have flowing water all year round are now completely drying out during some periods or just maintaining disconnected pools in the riverbed. For example, in Mediterranean-climate streams, the duration of drying periods that typically occur in summer are becoming longer, while in areas with more humid and colder climate, rivers and streams are now experiencing these drying periods for the first time ever. Despite having information on river drying events is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, ecosystem functions and the provisioning of ecosystem services to humans, most drying river networks (DRNs) in Europe are not yet mapped.
The aim of the DRYRivERS app is to enable citizens to collect information about drying events. With this field information, citizens will contribute to the mapping of drying rivers and will help to improve scientific predictions of the future impacts of climate change in these ecosystems.