The mouth of the Amazon River, captured by a NASA satellite.

(NASA)

At a Glance

Using satellite images and special software, researchers found 45 percent more rivers and streams than previously thought.The study has implications for the study of climate change.

Our planet is covered in 45 percent more rivers and streams than scientists previously estimated, according to a new study.

Analyzing thousands of images from a NASA Landsat satellite and using on-the-ground measurements and software designed by University of North Carolina hydrologistTamlin Pavelsky, the researchers , excluding land with glaciers. They discovered that there are just under 300,000 square miles of rivers and streams – more than the square footage of Texas, and 45 percent more surface area than previously thought.

The study published Thursday in Science Magazine has implications for the study of climate change.More river surface area suggests rivers are likely exchanging more carbon dioxide with the atmosphere than previously assumed.

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"As we try to mitigate the effects of climate change, it’s really important that we clearly understand where the carbon that we are emitting goes, and that requires us to accurately ," Pavelskysaid in a press release."Our new calculation helps scientists better assess how much carbon dioxide is moving from rivers and streams into the atmosphere each year."

Theresearchers say this study differed from previousstudies because they were able to "directly measure both the smallest streams and world's largest rivers through on-the-ground measurements and satellite images" rather than just using "theoretical extrapolations of small amounts of actual data."

NASA will use the datato identify river segments during its upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission, which will begin in2021.