Breaking boundaries in water research

Ranked among the top water research institutions in the world, the Water Institute is a leader in water research and education.

Distinguished by its commitment to 1) facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration, 2) inspiring innovation and 3) building international partnerships, the Water Institute is tackling some of the most complex water challenges of our time.

News

  1. Feb. 1, 2023Wetlands under threat
    Wetlands

    Water Institute member Rebecca Rooney discusses the value of wetlands and the risk they face in Ontario

    By Angelica Marie Sanchez, University Relations

    Thursday, February 2 marks World Wetlands Day, an international government agreement acknowledging the importance of wetlands and their ecological role in conserving our ecosystems.

    “Wetlands are these climate change superheroes,” says Water institute member Dr. Rebecca Rooney, a wetland ecologist and professor in the Department of Biology. “Wetlands are a portfolio of ecosystem services: including flood prevention, breaking down pesticides, storing large amounts of carbon, and provide habitat for more than 32 per cent of Ontario species at risk who rely on these wetlands to mitigate climate change.”

  2. Feb. 1, 2023Small isolated wetlands are pollution-catching powerhouses
    Wetlands

    A University of Waterloo press resease.

    Small, isolated wetlands that are full for only part of the year are often the first to be removed for development or agriculture, but a new study shows that they can be twice as effective in protecting downstream lake or river ecosystems than if they were connected to them. 

    Using a new method involving satellite imagery and computer modelling, researchers from the University of Waterloo found that since these small wetlands are disconnected, pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorous get trapped. This is the first study to use satellite data for estimating nutrient retention.

  3. Jan. 30, 2023Research snapshot: Fires can significantly accelerate fine sediment transport and alluvial fans can buffer this impact
    water reservoir

    In the latest research from the forWater Network, scientists have found that fires in forested source water regions can significantly accelerate fine sediment transport from hillslopes to receiving streams. The mobilization of fine sediment and associated nutrients, such as phosphorus (P), into high quality surface waters can substantially increase primary productivity, which can severely degrade water quality, threaten aquatic ecosystem health, and challenge drinking water treatability to the point of service disruptions.

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Events

  1. Feb. 14, 2023WaterLeadership | Sharing Science: Clear Language Writing
    Waterleadership

    As part of the Water Institute's WaterLeadership training series, the Water Institute, presents, "Sharing Science: Clear Language Writing” with  special guest Elisabeth Van Stam, Writing and Communications Advisor, Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, STEM Specialist.


  2. Feb. 15, 2023The Ecosystem Approach in the 21st Century: Guiding science and management of the Great Lakes
    The Ecosystem Approach in the 21st Century: Guiding science and management of the Great Lakes

    As part of the Water Institute's Webinar Series: The Value of Water in Canada 

    John Hartig, Visiting Scholar, University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research presents:

    The Ecosystem Approach in the 21st Century: Guiding science and management of the Great Lakes

  3. Feb. 16, 2023WaterTalk: Droughts in a human-dominated world: Feedbacks, legacies and inequalities
    Droughts in a human-dominated world: Feedbacks, legacies and inequalities

    As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Dr. Giuliano Di Baldassarre, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences & Principal Investigator HydroSocialExtremes, Uppsala University, Sweden will present: Droughts in a human-dominated world: Feedbacks, legacies and inequalities.

    This event will be offered online.

All upcoming events