diff --git a/src/components/scenes/AboutRiverScene.tsx b/src/components/scenes/AboutRiverScene.tsx
index 89a3d65..7284898 100644
--- a/src/components/scenes/AboutRiverScene.tsx
+++ b/src/components/scenes/AboutRiverScene.tsx
@@ -12,15 +12,10 @@ import {
 } from './scenePrimitives';
 import styles from './Scenes.module.css';
 
-// Sharp 90-degree orthogonal isometric river path:
-// Enters from bottom-left along the isometric Z axis,
-// takes a sharp 90-degree orthogonal step across the isometric X axis at the center,
-// and turns 90 degrees to continue along the isometric Z axis towards the top-right.
+// Straight isometric river running between the two platform groups.
 const riverPath = [
-  new THREE.Vector2(-1.3, -16),
-  new THREE.Vector2(-1.3, 0),
-  new THREE.Vector2(1.3, 0),
-  new THREE.Vector2(1.3, 16),
+  new THREE.Vector2(0, -20),
+  new THREE.Vector2(0, 20)
 ];
 
 const createAboutScene: SceneFactory = ({ pointer, theme, reduceMotion }) => {
@@ -111,19 +106,96 @@ const createAboutScene: SceneFactory = ({ pointer, theme, reduceMotion }) => {
     addPlate(secondaryPlates, x, z, width, depth, 0.5, theme === 'dark' ? 0x0b2f5f : 0xe6f0fe),
   );
 
-  const riverGeometry = new THREE.ShapeGeometry(createRibbonShape(riverPath, 1.8));
+  const riverGeometry = new THREE.ShapeGeometry(createRibbonShape(riverPath, 4.5));
+  const riverEndFade = 0.16;
+  const fadeTextureSize = 256;
+  const fadeTextureData = new Uint8Array(fadeTextureSize * 4);
+
+  for (let index = 0; index < fadeTextureSize; index += 1) {
+    const progress = index / (fadeTextureSize - 1);
+    const distanceFromEnd = Math.min(progress, 1 - progress);
+    const opacity = Math.round(255 * Math.min(1, distanceFromEnd / riverEndFade));
+    const offset = index * 4;
+
+    fadeTextureData[offset] = opacity;
+    fadeTextureData[offset + 1] = opacity;
+    fadeTextureData[offset + 2] = opacity;
+    fadeTextureData[offset + 3] = 255;
+  }
+
+  const riverFadeTexture = new THREE.DataTexture(
+    fadeTextureData,
+    1,
+    fadeTextureSize,
+    THREE.RGBAFormat,
+  );
+  riverFadeTexture.minFilter = THREE.LinearFilter;
+  riverFadeTexture.magFilter = THREE.LinearFilter;
+  riverFadeTexture.needsUpdate = true;
+
+  riverGeometry.computeBoundingBox();
+  const riverBounds = riverGeometry.boundingBox;
+  const riverMinY = riverBounds?.min.y ?? -16;
+  const riverLength = Math.max((riverBounds?.max.y ?? 16) - riverMinY, 1);
+  const riverPositions = riverGeometry.getAttribute('position');
+  const riverUvs = riverGeometry.getAttribute('uv');
+
+  for (let index = 0; index < riverPositions.count; index += 1) {
+    const pathProgress = (riverPositions.getY(index) - riverMinY) / riverLength;
+    riverUvs.setXY(index, 0.5, pathProgress);
+  }
+  riverUvs.needsUpdate = true;
+
   const waterMaterial = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({
     color: palette.water,
     emissive: palette.water,
     emissiveIntensity: theme === 'dark' ? 0.28 : 0.1,
     roughness: 0.52,
+    alphaMap: riverFadeTexture,
+    transparent: true,
   });
   const river = new THREE.Mesh(riverGeometry, waterMaterial);
   river.rotation.x = -Math.PI / 2;
   river.position.y = -0.23;
   world.add(river);
 
-  const riverEdge = new THREE.LineSegments(new THREE.EdgesGeometry(riverGeometry), edgeMaterial);
+  const riverEdgeMaterial = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
+    transparent: true,
+    depthWrite: false,
+    uniforms: {
+      edgeColor: { value: new THREE.Color(palette.edge) },
+      edgeOpacity: { value: theme === 'dark' ? 0.48 : 0.56 },
+      fadeFraction: { value: riverEndFade },
+      pathMinY: { value: riverMinY },
+      pathLength: { value: riverLength },
+    },
+    vertexShader: `
+      uniform float pathMinY;
+      uniform float pathLength;
+      varying float pathProgress;
+
+      void main() {
+        pathProgress = clamp((position.y - pathMinY) / pathLength, 0.0, 1.0);
+        gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
+      }
+    `,
+    fragmentShader: `
+      uniform vec3 edgeColor;
+      uniform float edgeOpacity;
+      uniform float fadeFraction;
+      varying float pathProgress;
+
+      void main() {
+        float startFade = smoothstep(0.0, fadeFraction, pathProgress);
+        float endFade = smoothstep(0.0, fadeFraction, 1.0 - pathProgress);
+        gl_FragColor = vec4(edgeColor, edgeOpacity * startFade * endFade);
+      }
+    `,
+  });
+  const riverEdge = new THREE.LineSegments(
+    new THREE.EdgesGeometry(riverGeometry),
+    riverEdgeMaterial,
+  );
   riverEdge.rotation.copy(river.rotation);
   riverEdge.position.y = -0.21;
   world.add(riverEdge);
@@ -133,7 +205,8 @@ const createAboutScene: SceneFactory = ({ pointer, theme, reduceMotion }) => {
     const direction = end.clone().sub(start);
     const length = direction.length();
     direction.normalize();
-    for (let distance = 1.3; distance < length - 0.7; distance += 1.35) {
+    const fadeDistance = length * riverEndFade;
+    for (let distance = fadeDistance; distance < length - fadeDistance; distance += 1.35) {
       const at = start.clone().addScaledVector(direction, distance);
       const seam = new THREE.Mesh(
         new THREE.PlaneGeometry(1.72, 0.016),