ABSTRACT
Stored in lakes, wetlands, and rivers, surface freshwater is the most critical resource that sustains environments and the lives of the organisms within them. In addition, it plays a large role in the water cycle-both by contributing to the storage component (i.e., lake and wetland storage) and by serving as a key flux term (i.e., river discharge) that links the land to the ocean. For many scientific disciplines, surface freshwater is of great significance. In water resources management, reservoir impounding has been used for hydropower generation, flood control, irrigation, and recreational purposes. Lakes and rivers host most of the inland fisheries, and wetlands are home to a wide variety of wildlife. Floods and droughts, the two most life-threatening and financially expensive natural disasters, are directly associated with extreme conditions within these water bodies.
