The water that replenishes groundwater, rivers and lakes is under threat from climate change, pollution and aging infrastructure.
Some lakes in the Arctic are expanding and others are disappearing as permafrost thaws.
This lake north of Inuvik, N.W.T., is expanding as the ice wedges (darker lines leading away from the lake) around this lake melt and the ground subsides.
(Philip Marsh)
Hundreds of thousands of lakes, rivers and streams in the Arctic exist only because of the permafrost that lies beneath them. The warming Arctic threatens to change that.
A lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
Sergey Pesterev/Unsplash
Why did Earth’s climate rapidly cool 12,800 years ago? Evidence is mounting that a comet or asteroid collision is to blame, with new support coming from the bottom of a South Carolina lake.
Freshwater fish are suffering as drought becomes more common and severe. Whether they survive will depend on how governments manage rivers and lakes, and on taking action against climate change.
There are 130 billion gallons of water in Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota, and now, trillions of spiny water fleas.
Corey Coyle/Wikimedia
It’s cheaper to prevent biological invasions than to react after they happen. But it’s hard to detect invaders while there are still just a few of them. Knowing when and where to look can help.
Spawning sockeye salmon make their way up the Adams River near Chase, B.C.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Roughly 10,000 tons of plastic enter the Great Lakes every year, and scientists want to know where it ends up. There are some parallels to ocean plastics, but also important differences.
A recent study shows plankton that have adapted to road salt have disrupted circadian rhythms. This finding suggests that environmental pollutants could also affect human circadian clocks.
Rock salt is widely used to deice roads around the world.
(Shutterstock)
With frigid temperatures and snow in the forecast, slippery roads can’t be far behind. Salt keeps roads safe, but it’s harmful to aquatic environments.
A Boreal Shield lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario.
(Shutterstock)
Canadians love to paddle on them and camp beside them, but our boreal lakes offer more than just peace and beauty. They could provide clues to how life on Earth began.
The Hazelwood mine will fill with water once it’s closed.
AAP/Country Fire Authority
What do you do with a giant pit mine once it closes? One option for the Hazelwood mine is creating a recreational lake – but there are economic and environmental issues to consider.
Lakes contain most of the fresh water on Earth’s surface. Recent research at Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountains shows that climate change could alter lake chemistry, threatening these sources.
Moo-ve along: livestock are one of many threats to Australian freshwater ecosystems.
Mick Stanic/Flickr
Invasive species cause some $120 billion in damages across North America yearly – and that’s just direct costs. A study of one species in one Wisconsin lake indicates the real toll is much higher.
The remote rivers of northern Australia could be home to untold numbers of new and threatened fish.
Matthew Le Feuvre