News

Wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services, such as reducing flood peaks during wet periods, augmenting baseflows during dry periods and water purification, and they enhance biodiversity. There is increasing interest in using wetlands as ‘nature‐based solutions’ for flood mitigation and soil and water conservation. However, over time, there can be water-quality tradeoffs and wetlands can become sources of nutrients to downstream water bodies.

Water Institute member and Director of Waterloo's Collaborative Water Program, Nandita Basu, has been selected as a 2021 Earth Leadership Fellow.

Two Water Institute members and leading experts in wetlands ecology will study ways to control invasive species and restore the health of Southampton’s beloved Fairy Lake under a new research project launched by the Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) and the Town of Saugeen Shores.

Water Institute member Blair Feltmate, Professor and Head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at Waterloo, gave a talk at a TEDx event about the extreme weather catastrophic loss insurance claims which are becoming the norm, and how fire and too much water in the wrong place has to be our priority to fix.

Greenland is the world’s largest “non-continental” island, and about 80 per cent of this island is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet. In recent years, however, the melting of this ice sheet has accelerated, leading to an increased contribution to rising sea levels.

Water Institute member and professor in Waterloo's School of Architecture, Elizabeth English, discusses her research into the development of amphibious foundation systems to adapt coastal communities to rising water levels and avoid habitual relocation.

Test and develop your knowledge while exploring climate solutions

Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowships address an urgent need to encourage and support the pursuit of graduate studies by under-represented groups.

Six universities in Ontario have partnered to create a new fellowship to expand the pathways for Indigenous and Black students pursuing doctoral degrees in engineering and mathematics to prepare for careers as professors and industry researchers.

Water Institute member Anita Layton, Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine, Professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy, and Biology, has been named the recipient of the 2021 Krieger-Nelson Prize for her exceptional contributions to mathematical research with applications ranging from fluid dynamics to biology and medicine. Dr. Layton will receive her award and present a prize lecture during the CMS Summer Meeting in June 2021.

Cyanobacteria blooms are a major environmental issue worldwide. They can have direct impacts on the safety of drinking water supplies by producing a variety of toxins which also impose health risks for swimmers and boaters. Although many may associate cyanobacteria with bright green algae seen on the surface of lakes, Ellen Cameron, PhD Candidate in Waterloo’s Biology Department, is using DNA sequencing to study cyanobacteria communities in low-nutrient, clear lakes in Northern Ontario.