To mark World Water Day, McMaster is highlighting researchers who are exploring ways to conserve water and protect waterways at a time when more than two billion people around the world live without safe drinking water.
McMaster’s leadership in this area was recognized recently when the university ranked first in North America for advancing clean water and sanitation as part of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking.
Here are just a few of the McMaster researchers making a difference:
From left, Shakirudeen Salaudeen and Nancy Boamah from the Faculty of Engineering; Robin Cameron and Fathy El-Gebaly from the Faculty of Science.
Nothing is wasted: Researchers use leftover water after turning food waste into fuel
Researchers are applying the water left over from a process called hydrothermal carbonization to the base of cucumber plants growing in the McMaster Learning and Discovery Greenhouse.
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Study finds high DDT levels in fish 60 years after pesticide was used
The discovery raises concerns about wildlife that eat fish, which have absorbed DDT that has lingered in the environment and washed into waterways over decades.
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High levels of microplastic particles require coordinated regional monitoring and further research, the International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board reports.
‘Microplastics everywhere we look’ – Great Lakes watchdog calls for Canada and U.S. to act
Scientists call on the U.S. and Canadian governments to designate microplastics a Chemical of Mutual Concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
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Troubled waters: New U.S. policies put Canada’s water security at risk, expert warns
With fewer regulations and environmental protections, Canadians can expect more pollution, invasive species and aquatic degradation in the Great Lakes and other water bodies
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Carey spends around two months of the year in the Yukon. He’s dedicated his career to understanding how water quantity and quality change in response to changes in climate.
How water quality changes in response to climate change
There are few other places in the world undergoing faster and more extreme changes than the Yukon, and few researchers in the territory who’ve collected as much water and climate data for as long as Sean Carey.
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You could say rivers run in the family for grad students Kate Pearson, centre, and Priyanka Hire, right. They are working with Professor Elli Papangelakis, left, on Mac WELL, a living lab that will monitor the health of the Ancaster Creek aquatic ecosystem in real time.
A creek runs through it: Students help set up new outdoor teaching and research lab
Data collected through the Watershed Ecosystems and Living Lab (WELL) provides insights into the health of the watershed to support teaching, research and community engagement.
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Researchers sound alarm over drugs in wastewater threatening aquatic ecosystems
Most medications are not biodegradable and inevitably find their way into global waterways. ‘We are seeing mixtures of pharmaceuticals in rivers and lakes on every continent.’
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