Riverscapes in Transition: Geoscientists Gather in Denver to Explore How Changing Water Resources Shape Landscapes and Lives

Contributed by Alyssa V. Pietraszek, GSA Science Communication Fellow

Boulder, Colorado, USA: Some impacts of our changing climate and environment are subtle and hard to detect over short time scales. Others are the opposite: they arrive as a flood. Water is among our most vital resources, and changes in where, when, and how much of it is available are reshaping landscapes and the communities who depend on it. From devastating flash floods to prolonged droughts, these extremes highlight the complex and evolving relationship between people and water.

This week, geologists from across the country and around the world are gathered in Denver, Colorado, for GSA Connects 2026, the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting. Among the meeting’s three scientific themes, “Riverscapes in Transition: Dynamics, Hazards, and Human Futures” is exploring how changing water resources shape the natural environment, influence communities, and challenge how we prepare for the future.

“Water is humanity’s most critical resource of all, and the foot of the Colorado Rockies, where geoscientists work daily to address myriad water issues from drought to acid-mine drainage to flash flooding, is a fitting place to hold the ‘Riverscapes in Transition’ themed sessions that will probe the connection between humans and water,” wrote Lon Abbott, GSA Connects 2026 General Chair and Teaching Professor of Distinction in Earth Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, in his welcome letter.

The theme brings together science at the intersection of water, climate, landscape, and society, examining these connections across different environments, spatial scales, and time periods. Two sessions earlier in the week, “Riverscapes in transition: Advances in fluvial geomorphology, sediment transport, deposition, river health, and urban rivers” (Parts I and II), explored how rivers transport water and sediment, reshape landscapes, and respond to natural and human-driven changes. Through remote sensing, field observations, and modeling, researchers are investigating the processes that shape river systems and influence their health and resilience.

Other sessions approach the discussion through landscape modeling, groundwater contaminants, and the hazards associated with landslides and hurricanes, highlighting how water-related processes extend beyond river channels themselves. Field trips offer opportunities to explore these connections firsthand, from glacial deposits and mountain hydrology along the Colorado Front Range to the role of beaver dams in shaping stream environments.

Closer to the Colorado Convention Center, a field trip exploring Denver’s urban riverscapes will show this theme playing out in the meeting’s host city itself. Stopping at small creeks, range-front streams, and the South Platte River, participants will look at how anthropogenic changes to these rivers affect their health and resilience, and how effective trout stream rehabilitation efforts can be in helping rivers recover from past disturbances.

Although the research spans different landscapes, methods, and challenges, one thing holds constant: rivers have a remarkable power to reshape landscapes, and their changes have direct consequences for the communities that depend on them. From flash floods rushing through Front Range canyons to restored streams running through Denver neighborhoods, the science of changing riverscapes tells the story of how our relationship with water is changing too.

The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a global professional society with more than 18,000 members across over 100 countries. As a leading voice for the geosciences, GSA advances the understanding of Earth's dynamic processes and fosters collaboration among scientists, educators, and policymakers. GSA publishes Geology, the top-ranked geology journal, along with a diverse portfolio of scholarly journals, books, and conference proceedings—several of which rank among Amazon’s top 100 best-selling geology titles.

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