9 April 2022 | New Scientist | 29Earth’s arteries
DRAMATIC, powerful and
entrancing, these images give
a bird’s-eye view of one of
humanity’s most valuable
resources. They are taken from
River, a new nature documentary
directed by Jennifer Peedom. The
movie includes drone footage
and draws on modern filming
techniques, such as the use of
satellites, to capture the scale
and intricacy of rivers in 39
countries across six continents.
Though rivers make up only
about 1 per cent of the world’s
surface freshwater, they are critical
sources of drinking water and food
for countless people. Rivers are
also biodiverse ecosystems that
play vital roles in distributing
nutrients and draining surface
water. Yet they are increasingly
at risk from pollution, damming
and biodiversity loss, making
the need to protect them all
the more urgent.
The images show (clockwise,
from top left): North America’s
Susquehanna river as it cuts
through agricultural land in
Pennsylvania, taken from the
International Space Station;
glacial outflows in Iceland
captured by photographer
Chris Burkard; an abandoned
fishing boat sitting in the
mudflats of the Colorado river
delta, an area under threat from
drought and climate change; and,
finally, a double meander of the
Colorado river in Canyonlands
National Park, Utah.
River is screening in selected
cinemas and available to watch
on demand at river.film. ❚Gege LiNew Scientist video
Watch a clip from River and many other
videos at youtube.com/newscientist