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Articles on Freshwater

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A view of the Yaqan Nukiy, also known as the Lower Kootenay Band First Nation, wetland restoration project is seen near Creston, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Norm Allard

Ripple effect: How public attitudes can shift governments toward sustainable, and resilient, water systems

The results of a new study are clear: resilient water governance systems are effective and enjoy strong public support. The time is now to build resilience into our global water systems.
A front-end loader dumps road salt into a truck in Chelsea, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

‘Forever contaminant’ road salts pose an icy dilemma: Do we protect drivers or our fresh water?

Increasing awareness of the dangers ‘forever chemical’ road salts pose to our fresh water systems highlights the urgent importance of finding new approaches to de-icing our roads.
In 2022, California built an emergency drought barrier across the West False River near Oakley to protect against saltwater intrusion. AP Photo/Terry Chea

What is seawater intrusion? A hydrogeologist explains the shifting balance between fresh and salt water at the coast

Saltwater intrusion is bad for human health, ecosystems, crops and infrastructure. Here’s how seawater can move inland, and why climate change is making this phenomenon more frequent and severe.
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It’s not just climate – we’ve already breached most of the Earth’s limits. A safer, fairer future means treading lightly

We’ve blown past the safe and just limit for vital Earth systems, from climate change to the biosphere and the use of fertilisers and freshwater. For humans to thrive means living in safe limits
Roads require de-icing strategies in northern regions, but this practice has negative effects on aquatic biodiversity.

Freshwater ecosystems are becoming increasingly salty. Here’s why this is a concern

Although it has been considerably less studied than other environmental problems, salinization presents major challenges for biodiversity in freshwater and coastal areas.
A paddler launches a canoe on Bass Lake in central Ontario on Canada Day, 2021. Could humble Canada be heading towards superpower status in the decades to come? THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill

Canada, a superpower? Here’s how the country might one day fit the bill

In 1776, with a population of 2.5 million, few imagined that within two centuries, the U.S. would become the dominant superpower. It’s not inconceivable that Canada could do the same by 2223.
Heavy rain from a series of atmospheric rivers flooded large parts of California from late December 2022 into early January 2023. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

How California could save up its rain to ease future droughts — instead of watching epic atmospheric river rainfall drain into the Pacific

Urban infrastructure was designed to take stormwater out to the ocean quickly. Now, California needs that precious water.
Studying the impacts of climate and landscape stressors on freshwater biodiversity can only help find more strategic solutions when conducted in the messy, yet realistic, outdoor environment. (Shutterstock)

The use of natural outdoor laboratories can reduce threats to freshwater biodiversity

Governments, industrial and development companies and scientists need to take a leading role in finding strategic solutions to the cumulative threats impacting our freshwater ecosystems.
Hundreds of freshwater basins across the world, including the dried-up Santa Olalla permanent freshwater lagoon, in Spain’s Doñana National Park, are the most likely to experience social and ecological impacts due to freshwater use. (Donana Biological Station/CSIC)

Ripple effect: As global freshwater basins dry up, the threat to ecosystems and communities grows

While we know how global changes in freshwater pose risks to humans and ecosystems, we know less about how people and ecosystems will respond to these global freshwater challenges.

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