Their paper on MERIT Hydro, co-written with Dai Yamazaki, made major advances in our ability to represent river networks globally.

As 2020 draws to a close, Fathom are pleased to announce that University of Bristol Water Group researchers, and Fathom team members, Jeison Sosa and Paul Bates have been awarded a Water Resources Research (WRR) Editors’ Choice award for 2020.
This award was received as a result of their contribution to Dai Yamazaki’s paper on MERIT Hydro, a high‐resolution global map of river network developed by combining the latest global map of topography with the latest maps of water bodies. MERIT Hydro represents a major advance in our ability to represent river networks globally and is a data set that is anticipated to enhance a wide range of geoscience applications including flood risk assessment, aquatic carbon emissions, and climate modelling.
WRR is published by the American Geophysical Union and is the leading technical journal for scientists working in flood mapping. WRR awards are given to the top 1% of papers published each year and awards papers based on their quality, significance and originality.
We are delighted that Fathom research has been acknowledged in this way. In the new year, we look forward to continuing collaboration with the University of Bristol to produce industry-leading research contributing to the advancement of the flood modelling and hydrology field.