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    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-24-011",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-river-temperature-satellite",
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    "headline": "Two Hundred Fifty Dams Leave Thermal Fingerprints",
    "slug": "two-hundred-fifty-dams-leave-thermal-fingerprints",
    "dek": "Landsat measurements extended river-temperature comparisons from a handful of sites to wide U.S. coverage.",
    "summary": "Landsat measurements extended river-temperature comparisons from a handful of sites to wide U.S. coverage.",
    "body_text": "Virginia Tech researchers used thermal infrared satellite imagery to compare surface temperatures upstream and downstream of more than 250 large U.S. dams from 2013 through 2024. Temperature differences appeared in 71% of observations, with direction and size varying by dam and season. Because Landsat resolution limited the sample to wide rivers, the method does not describe every dam, but it gives water managers a scalable way to see temperature as more than a leftover operating condition.",
    "why_it_matters": "Landsat measurements extended river-temperature comparisons from a handful of sites to wide U.S. coverage.",
    "limitations": [
      "Because Landsat resolution limited the sample to wide rivers, the method does not describe every dam, but it gives water managers a scalable way to see temperature as more than a leftover operating condition."
    ],
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    "first_published_at": "2026-07-24T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-07-24T09:28:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "Landsat measurements extended river-temperature comparisons from a handful of sites to wide U.S. coverage.",
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        "qualification": "Because Landsat resolution limited the sample to wide rivers, the method does not describe every dam, but it gives water managers a scalable way to see temperature as more than a leftover operating condition."
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    "source_ids": [
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    "tags": [
      "rivers",
      "dams",
      "remote sensing"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
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    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-24-011",
      "title": "Virginia Tech via Newswise: Satellite river-temperature analysis",
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      "url": "https://www.newswise.com/articles/researchers-unlock-new-tool-to-study-river-temperatures-over-large-scales",
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "Two Hundred Fifty Dams Leave Thermal Fingerprints",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-24T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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