Atmospheric science
Understanding clouds and processes such as precipitation and evapotranspiration that link the atmosphere and the terrestrial surface is key to understanding weather, climate change and the global water balance.
- Affiliated departments: applied mathematics, geography and environmental management
- Atmospheric science researchers
Groundwater and porous media
Waterloo has historically had one of the strongest groundwater research programs in the world and continues to push the boundaries of groundwater science. Examining and managing our regional-scale groundwater resources, developing means of remediating the polluted subsurface, and identifying how to best protect our valuable resources from agricultural and radioactive contamination — Waterloo does it all.
- Affiliated departments: applied mathematics, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, computer science, earth and environmental sciences
- Groundwater and porous media researchers
Lakes and oceans
Ontario borders four of the five Great Lakes, so it is no surprise that Waterloo researchers have worked to study both the hydrodynamics and the ecology of lake systems.
- Affiliated departments: applied mathematics, biology
- Lakes and oceans researchers
Snow, ice and glaciers
Canada has a reputation for its cold climate, and for good cause: from ice floes in the Arctic Circle, to the glacial history of the Great Lakes basins, and the snowmelt events that dominate our surface water hydrology, the freeze-thaw water cycle determines, in large part, the long- and short-term operation of our natural world.
- Affiliated departments: civil and environmental engineering, earth and environmental sciences, environment, resources and sustainability, geography and environmental management, systems design engineering
- Snow, ice, and glaciers researchers
Surface water hydrology and hydraulics
Rivers and streams are an integral part of the terrestrial water balance. Waterloo researchers work to understand their sensitivity to changes in climate and changes in land practices through a combination of fieldwork and computer modelling.
- Affiliated departments/schools: civil and environmental engineering, earth and environmental sciences, environment, resources and sustainability, geography and environmental management, planning
- Surface water hydrology and hydraulics researchers
Wetlands and peatlands
Approximately 28 per cent of Canada's landmass is covered in wetlands or peatlands, which are both critical sources of biodiversity and one of the larges carbon sinks on the planet. Their hydrological impacts cannot be undervalued.