Annual estimates of water and solute export from 42 tributaries to the Yukon River show that the total discharge of the river can be accurately determined by combining contributions from these tributaries. The researchers calculated the annual discharge of the Yukon River by summing the discharges from the tributaries, and estimated an average annual discharge of 210 km3. They also found that the river discharges around 33 million metric tons of dissolved solids each year, with calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, and sulphate being the dominant solutes. These findings provide valuable insights into the distribution of solutes within the Yukon River basin and demonstrate how accurate estimates of total river export can be obtained from tributary contributions.