Science

Open database tracks Earth's water cycle by standardizing decades of satellite data

Source: Phys.org · Published 27 Oct 2026, 22:20

All water comes from somewhere. Researchers who want to know where it comes from rely on water isotopes, variants of water molecules with slightly different masses, as location identifiers. In particular, the specific ratio of heavy to light water isotopes is unique to the water's origin and processes it has undergone and can provide information on how water travels across the globe.

Key points

All water comes from somewhere.
Researchers who want to know where it comes from rely on water isotopes, variants of water molecules with slightly different masses, as location identifiers.
In particular, the specific ratio of heavy to light water isotopes is unique to the water's origin and processes it has undergone and can provide information on how water travels across the globe.

Open database tracks Earth's water cycle by standardizing decades of satellite data

Key points

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