Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42471340›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Human imprints on global riverfronts.

Fanxuan Zeng, Chunqiao Song, R Iestyn Woolway, Linghong Ke, Jida Wang, Dongmei Feng, George H Allen, Peirong Lin, Kai Liu, Tan Chen and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Fanxuan ZengState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Chunqiao SongState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China. cqsong@niglas.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1060-4636
R Iestyn WoolwaySchool of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0498-7968
Linghong KeCollege of Geography and Remote Sensing, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9374-943X
Jida WangDepartment of Geography and Geographic Information Science, Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3548-8918
Dongmei FengDepartment of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3141-0371
George H AllenDepartment of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8301-5301
Peirong LinInstitute of Remote Sensing and GIS, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7275-7470
Kai LiuState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5500-0644
Tan ChenState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Pengfei ZhanState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Chenyu FanState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Hui ZhangState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Lin HuangState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Tamlin M PavelskyDepartment of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0613-3838

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Rivers are profoundly shaped by human activity along their water-land interfaces (riverfronts), yet the global distribution and drivers of these imprints remain poorly understood. Here we present a high-resolution global map of 7.52 million kilometers of riverfronts using satellite imagery and deep learning. We find that nearly 20% of global riverfronts are anthropogenically modified, primarily by agriculture (13.43%) and built-up areas (6.29%). A distinct modification belt spans parts of Africa and Eurasia, accounting for ~60% of global alterations, with imprint densities six times higher than elsewhere. This lateral fragmentation represents a pervasive human pressure that differs fundamentally from dam-induced longitudinal fragmentation, and is closely linked to deteriorating water quality and biodiversity threats. Environmental constraints and region-specific socio-economic dependencies further shape these spatial patterns. Our findings inform riverfront management and underscore the urgent need to reconcile development with the ecological integrity of these transitional zones.

Indexed as

Anthropogenic EffectsRiversAfricaAgricultureBiodiversityConservation of Natural ResourcesEcosystemGeographyHuman ActivitiesHumansSatellite ImageryWater Quality

Identifiers

PMID42471340
PMCPMC13493891

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.