The University of Waterloo’s Collaborative Water Program (CWP) has been named a finalist in the Education category of the 2026 Water Canada Awards, recognizing more than a decade of innovation and leadership in interdisciplinary water education.
Twice a day, the ocean lifts a glacier. The movement is small, sometimes only a few centimeters. It happens quietly, far from cities and coastlines. But along the edges of glaciers, these subtle tidal pulses help control how quickly ice flows into the sea.
Working with Dr. Wesley Van Wychen, Dr. Jae Hun Kim studies how glaciers in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic respond to the rhythm of the tides. Using radar, he tracks the grounding line, the place where a glacier lifts off bedrock and begins to float. This narrow boundary plays a crucial role in glacier mass loss.
A virus that infects harmful freshwater cyanobacteria is challenging one of biology’s most fundamental assumptions about the difference between viruses and living cells.
Published in The ISME Journal, new research reveals that the jumbo cyanophage PhiMa05 carries the largest set of ribosomal protein genes ever found in a virus. The discovery is prompting scientists to rethink how viruses evolve and where the line between viral and cellular life truly lies.
This article brings together the work of two graduate students studying water scarcity in Bauru, Brazil, from complementary perspectives. One examines the fragile groundwater systems beneath the city and the risks created by aging infrastructure. The other investigates how households cope when the formal water supply becomes unreliable. Together, their research reveals how hidden water systems, both underground and within homes, are sustaining the city, while also creating new risks and inequities.
New research from University of Waterloo and Penn State researchers suggests that fertilizer shortages linked to global conflict may be having an unexpected effect on water quality.
The researchers found that in nutrient-rich agricultural systems, farmers may be able to tap into legacy nutrient reserves already stored in the soil, reducing the need for additional fertilizer and decreasing nutrient runoff into rivers, lakes and streams.
Ocean conservation efforts are often guided by ambitious global targets, from protecting 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas to advancing the United Nations Ocean Decade goals. But new thinking co-authored by Water Institute member Derek Armitage and published in The Conversation argues that targets alone are not enough to ensure meaningful progress.
Every year, the Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival helps hundreds of elementary school students discover the hidden world of groundwater and the importance of protecting our water resources. This year, members of the Society of the Water Institute Graduate Students (SWIGS) helped bring those lessons to life through a new four-part educational video series created for the festival’s virtual programming.
Urban water stress is no longer a future concern. Water scarcity is already shaping how cities grow and develop. This challenge is not only about how much water is available, but also about where water flows and how long it stays within urban systems. One key player in this urban water cycle is the stormwater pond. Commonly found across cities, these ponds are often seen as simple drainage facilities. In reality, they play a much larger role. Stormwater ponds store water, redirect flow pathways, and control how long water remains in the system, making them important nodes in urban hydrology.
Dr. Nandita Basu delivered a distinguished public lecture at the University of Victoria, highlighting integrated pathways to water, food, and energy sustainability through the SOLUTIONSCAPES framework. Her talk emphasized that while many effective environmental solutions already exist, their impact depends on coordinated, landscape-scale implementation that accounts for real-world complexity. The lecture also marked her recognition with the Distinguished Women Scholars Award.
The Microplastics Fingerprinting research project has released their latest impact report. This report showcases the remarkable scientific advancements and societal contributions our researchers have made since the microplastics fingerprinting research group's launch.