Science EPISODES

This is our 5th of five episodes with various River Forecast Centers of the United States. In the uppermost northeast corner of the US, the Northeast River Forecast Center is bound on three sides by water: the Great Lakes to the west, Canada's lakes and bays to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The mountains of this region collect this moisture from various weather events and send that water down the river valleys. In this episode we talk with Bill Leatham, a Senior Hydrometeorologi...

The Southeast River Forecast Center hosts a landscape that has the Appalachian Mountains in the north, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, has the Florida Peninsula jutting into those ocean waters, and lowlands between the oceans and mountains. Rain and hurricanes are powerful and important parts of the climate in the Southeast and this region has the most rivers of all the River Forecast Center domains. Did this region have a warm and dry March lik...

What will the rivers of the Colorado Basin have for flow this year? Many rivers already had one peak in March during the heat dome, and a second peak is expected in May. But as spring in the Rocky Mountains is unpredictable, it is currently snowing and raining in the northern basin. This episode is the third in a series of five interviews with the River Forecast Centers of the United States. Our guest in this episode is Cody Moser, Senior River Hydrologist with the Colorado Basin River Forecast ...

With the unique winter and spring weather events creating a mixed snowpack and melt season, this episode talks with the California Nevada River Forecast Center to learn details about the expected river flows this spring and summer in their region, and to look at what types of precipitation might load up for the summer and fall. This is the 2nd episode in a series of five episodes talking with five River Forecast Centers across the US. The River Forecast Centers are part of the National Weather S...

As rivers in the west fill with spring runoff, we begin a series of episodes with various river hydrologists from four River Forecast Centers across the country. In this episode, we talk with the Northwest River Forecast Center in Oregon to learn about this past winter's precipitation and what flows will emerge this spring and summer. This episode is focused on the Columbia River Basin. Our guest is Amy Burke, a river hydrologist from the NWRFC. She explains the impacts of the Atmospheric Rivers...

In the summer of 2024, the Chilcotin River in British Columbia had a landslide that completely blocked the river creating a natural dam. For the next 6 days the river water backed up behind this dam until the waters finally worked over the top the of the landslide, creating a breach that would exceed the previous historical flows by 5 fold. 3 people share their experience and knowledge of the landslide in this episode. EPISODE GUESTS TŜILHQOT’IN National Government Jenny Philbrick, Executive D...

As snow is melting and running down rivers across the US, this episode talks with hydrologists at 5 regions of the National River Forecast Center to gain perspectives on how much snow and rain fell over the winter and how it will melt and what the rivers will look like this spring and summer. We focus on the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, California, some of Nevada, and the Colorado River Basin. SPONSORS ROCKY TALKIE 5 Watt Radio, Waterproof Discount Code 10% off: RIVERRADIUS10 Instagram Fac...

Atmospheric Rivers are bands of water vapor in the sky, sometimes a few thousand miles long, bringing winter moisture to the west coast of North America and delivering it all the way to the Rocky Mountains. The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes flies research planes above these storms all winter tracking the details and forecasting the coming storm and this episode hosts their director to learn about Atmospheric Rivers. SPONSORS Down River Equipment Raftopia 2024 Sales Event Instag...

Our 3rd Annual episode of "What is a River" comes to you from a plane flying above the flooded Yampa River Valley in northwest Colorado. In May 2023, River Radius host Sam Carter joined two geomorphologists and a hometown river guide to fly above the Yampa River when it peaked at 20,000 cfs. This flight and episode learns about the deep value of an un-dammed, free flowing river spreading its waters across the flood plains and pounding down deep sandstone canyons. EPISODE IMAGE Kent Vertrees @po...

Is there a relationship between forest fire scars, floods and debris flows? This episode will explore landscapes denuded by fire and these massive storms creating floods in the fire scar zone. Is this a normal pattern? A new pattern? Coincidence? And how does understanding this correlation further our relationship with these changing landscapes? This episode explores these questions and more through the tools of western science, personal narrative, and traditional ecological knowledge. SPONSO...

As spring melt begins to fill rivers in the Western United States, the anticipation is high for big water runoff this season because of the long snowy winter. The River Forecast Centers of the National Weather Service provide forecasting for river flows across the country. This episode talks with the 3 of the Western Forecast Centers to learn about the snowpack and the coming river flows for spring of 2023. EPISODE CONTENT LINKS 13 River Forecast Centers Colorado River Basin Forecast Center Ca...

Is it true that lightning can’t strike in the Grand Canyon? How far can lightning travel through water? If it does strike, where is the safest place to be? This episode explores lightning from scientific and risk management perspectives. Grounding theory through personal narratives and best practices, this episode is a tool for any river runner’s stormy trips. ADVERTISING SPONSORS American Whitewater Down River Equipment Raftopia at Down River Equipment GUESTS LAURA HARRIS JOHN BELZ, UNIVERSI...

The River Radius went to Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River to learn about that dam. How do Salmon get around the Lower 4 Snake River Dams? How are the dams impacting the salmon returns? What does breach mean? What are the proposals on the table right working to avoid Salmon extinction? How do tribal treaty rights impact the salmon outcome? GUESTS Jay Hesse, Director of Biological Services, Fisheries Resource Management, Nez Perce Tribe US Congressman Mike Simpson, 2nd District of Idaho Eric...

Chinook Salmon of the Snake River begin their lives in mountains of Idaho’s rivers, live their lives in the Pacific Ocean, and return to their natal spawning stream in Idaho. This fish is on the brink of extinction. This is the summer when all pressure is focused on maintaining this fish that is millions of years old. This is the first of 2 episodes about this Chinook Salmon. GUESTS Dr Helen Neville, Trout Unlimited Vice Chairman Shannon Wheeler, Nez Perce Tribe Russ Thurow, Fish Biologist, US...

Is it a reservoir in crisis or a river recovering? In October of 2021 a crew of river scientist and river runners and this podcast traveled down Cataract Canyon to examine a retreating reservoir and a recovering river. As Lake Powell dips below 30% of full, the Colorado River is cutting through the decades of reservoir sediment. What is in the sediment? On top of it? What is next? SPONSORED ORGANIZATION RiversEdge West GUESTS Pete Lefebvre Dr Brenda Bowen Dr Scott Hynek Dr Cari Johnson Dr Sash...

Southern California has to import the majority of their municipal water from the Sacramento and Colorado Rivers and they have done this for much of the last 80 years. With 19 million water consumers in Southern California and decreasing flows in these rivers, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is looking to recycle their used water, all the way back to tap.

Imagine a river with no sediment. None at all. A temperature that is a barely above freezing. A river that is new and old all at the same time. These are the rivers that form on the top of the glaciers of Greenland.

The Greenback Cutthroat Trout survived many different assaults on its existence and genetic lineage. Once it was found in hiding above a waterfall, work began to reestablish this fish in its original basin. And yet, this work runs into itself as the projects require more changes to the streams of Colorado.

The Greenback Cutthroat Trout of Colorado was once a prolific fish in the streams of the South Platte River Basin. That all changed with the arrival of European Americans. Since then it has been spread across the state, hybridized, squeezed out by non-native fish, placed on the Endangered Species List, named the State Fish of Colorado, and thought to be extinct. After many efforts to re-establish this fish, it took a college student, a PhD student to sort out the details and set the path for the Greenback Cutthroat Trout to regain its place in its home river basin.