Regional climate variability and more play role in Missouri River Basin's elevated streamflow

Stretching from Montana to Missouri, the Missouri River basin is one of the country's largest river systems. Over the past century, its average streamflow has increased by about 40%, with multiple years since 1990 experiencing extremely high flow. Streamflow is affected by factors including precipitation, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as changes in the way land is used, such as replacing forest with cropland. Understanding how these factors interact is critical in helping the public prepare for hydrologic extremes such as floods, which cost the United States billions of dollars per year.