Giant 'Rivers In The Sky' Could Trigger World's Worst Flood, Wipe Out Species, Study Reveals

A new study reveals that massive "rivers in the sky" or also referred to as atmospheric rivers could cause the world's worst floods and wipe out species when they discard huge amounts of rain in a short period of time. These "rivers in the sky" could carry up to 15 times the amount of water in the Mississippi River.

The study was printed in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. It was led by researchers from the University of California, Davis. The team also discovered that 97 percent to 100 percent of wild Olympia oysters in north San Francisco Bay died in 2011 following a severe rainfall that is caused by atmospheric rivers. This is the first investigation of the biological consequences of the atmospheric rivers that dump huge amounts of fresh water on an area, according to Independent.

News for #rainydays in the SF Bay: The consequences of atmospheric rivers, or "rivers in the sky." @ucdavis https://t.co/Ev9eAEB9xo pic.twitter.com/FA105yOH4D

— Kat Kerlin (@UCDavis_Kerlin) December 15, 2016

Brian Cheng, one of the researchers from University of California, Davis, said that this shows them one way in which extreme events might affect coastal ecosystems. He further said that oysters can help buffer shorelines and improve biodiversity. On the other hand, this is one facet of climate change that might be a hurdle for oyster restoration efforts in San Francisco Bay.

The "rivers in the sky" or also known as "atmospheric rivers" are the narrow regions in the atmosphere that are the ones responsible for most of the horizontal transport of water vapor outside of the tropics. Those atmospheric rivers that have the vast amounts of water vapor, the strongest winds and defer watershed could trigger severe rainfall and floods. This can cause damage to life and property. On the other hand, not all atmospheric rivers are damaging. Some that are weak could provide rain or snow that is needed for water supply.