Current students

 Jill Crumb, Sylvie Spraakman and Nicole McLellan,

For the women in ImPONDerable, AquaHacking started out as an opportunity to meet other women passionate about the challenges facing Lake Erie; none of them imagined their idea would take them to the AquaHacking summit in September.

A massive survey of European waters has found that across the continent, climate change has caused flood times to shift — sometimes by several weeks.

The impact of methane gas on climate change is growing as warmer temperatures accelerate microbial methane emissions in nature. Water Institute member Hyung-Sool Lee, an associate professor in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is discovering innovative ways to deal with this problem. His recent publication, “Kinetic study on anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to denitrification,” offers new ideas about how to mitigate atmospheric methane efflux through anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM).

A research publication by Water Institute member Nandita Basu and Collaborative Water Program student, Fred Cheng, was recently featured in EOS after the American Geophysical Union wrote a Research Spotlight on it. We've provided the text, written by freelance writer Sarah Witman, below.

Microplastics contribute an estimated 10,000 metric tons of plastic debris that end up in our Great Lakes every year. These tiny particles of plastic, less than five millimeters in size, can come from things like hand soap, toothpaste, makeup, and even clothing. They are particularly concerning, because their small size and buoyancy allow a number of them to slip through water treatment filters, making their way into our waterways and food chain.

Countless lakes in Canada and elsewhere may offer some important insights into how life on Earth began and may also help us grapple with the pressing environmental issues facing the planet today.

The Boreal Shield is the largest of Canada’s 15 terrestrial ecozones, where boreal forests overlap the Canadian Shield. It stretches almost 4,000 kilometres from Newfoundland to Alberta. The millions of lakes that stud the Boreal Shield may offer clues into how ancient microorganisms might have shaped atmospheric and geological conditions on Earth.