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A by Water Institute member �����Ի徱�ٲ����������������Ի� Collaborative Water Program student, Fred Cheng, was recently featured in 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.

Canada's current wetland protection efforts have overlooked how the environment naturally protects fresh-water resources from agricultural fertilizer contaminants, researchers from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ's Water Institute have found.

In a recent study, engineering researchers at ��ݮ��Ƶ found that small wetlands have a more significant role to play than larger ones in preventing excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer from reaching waterbodies such as the Great Lakes.

Sewage-contaminated water is even more harmful for aquatic life than previously thought, according to researchers in the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Department of Biology. Paul Craig, Water Institute member and assistant professor in the Department of Biology, and his research team are the first to examine the effects of the bacterial necrobiome on fish exposed to wastewater.

Leaving wetlands in their natural state could reduce the financial costs of flooding by nearly 40 per cent, according to a report from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ.

Researchers at found that avoiding wetland loss could lead to substantial savings for Canadian communities that experience flooding.

The AquaHacking 2017 semi-final competition unfolded last week at CIGI. By the end of the evening, five teams were chosen to move on to the final competition at ��ݮ��Ƶ on September 13. It was a difficult decision for the five judges, as all 17 teams that competed offered innovative ideas that tackled the challenges and opportunities facing Lake Erie.  

Water Institute member and professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, Larry Swatuk, is the author of a new book titled “Water in Southern Africa.” 

Larry lived for 14 years in Africa, primarily in Botswana, where he was a lecturer at the University of Botswana and associate professor of Resource Governance at the Okavango Research Institute. He has published extensively on issues pertaining to the ‘wise use’ of the resources of the Okavango River basin.

Climate change is significantly impacting Canada’s water resources. From melting permafrost, to more pervasive algal blooms, to increased flooding, these impacts are only expected to increase in the future. Three professors from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Water Institute have been awarded significant grants to develop new, innovative technologies and to deliver new management approaches to enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of Canada’s water resources in the face of climate change.

AquaHacking 2017 has officially kicked off at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. Bringing together water experts, engineers, digital designers and entrepreneurs, this multi-stage hackathon encourages creative minds to work together to develop technology that will positively impact Lake Erie.