Water
The World Faces a Water Crisis, and 4 Powerful Charts Show How
Hundreds of millions of people lack access to safe water and sanitation. Will the first U.N. conference on water in nearly 50 years make a difference?
Water54 articles archived since 1845
Pollution
Forever Chemicals Are Widespread in U.S. Drinking Water
Experts hope that with the incoming Biden administration, the federal government will finally regulate a class of chemicals known as PFASs
Water
‘Pretty Epic’ Mountain Snowfall Stuns Californians
A near-record amount of snow in California could ease some water restrictions after years of climate-change-fueled drought
Water
How Water Finally Became a Climate Change Priority
A collaboration helped convince policy makers at COP27 to finally prioritize water as a critical resource affected by climate change. It was a win long in the making
Conservation
A New Map Tracks the World’s Largest Glaciers
A visualization compares the forms of Earth’s largest flows of ice
Water
How Water Cycles Can Help Prevent Disastrous Floods and Drought
To prevent devastating droughts and floods, humanity can tune in to natural solutions to repair water cycles that human development has disrupted
Climate Change
Water Wells Go Dry as California Feels Warming Impacts
Officials say climate change is driving an increase in dry wells in drought-stricken California
Water
Poem: ‘Uncertain-Sea Principle’
Science in meter and verse
Water
5 Billion People Will Face Water Shortages by 2050, U.N. Says
The World Meteorological Organization warns that climate-related shortages in water resources could affect two thirds of the world’s population by midcentury and will be felt unevenly...
Geology
Hidden ‘Paleo Valleys’ Could Help California Survive Droughts
“Paleo valleys,” carved by ice age rivers and now underground, could provide spaces to recharge California’s depleted groundwater
Pollution
How Safe are U.S. Rivers 50 Years after the Clean Water Act?
Millions of miles of U.S. rivers have dramatically improved in the half-century after the Clean Water Act, but climate change and other types of pollution still pose threats
Water
We Need 50 More Years of the Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that has fundamentally changed water pollution in the U.S., is under attack when it should be strengthened instead
Water
SCOTUS Hears a Case with Broad Implications for the Clean Water Act
As the new term begins, the Supreme Court debates what wetlands should be protected under one of the EPA’s most successful and controversial efforts
Pollution
A Growing Drinking Water Crisis Threatens American Cities and Towns
The Jackson, Miss., disaster rings alarm bells about myriad problems lurking in water systems across the country
Oceans
See Delicate Rib Vortices Encircle Breaking Ocean Waves
These little-studied mini twisters form beautiful loops under the water’s surface
Climate Change
Drastic Cuts to Colorado River Water Use Show Depth of West’s Drought
Cuts to states’ use of Colorado River water are needed to prevent levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell from dropping below a critical point
Climate Change
Ongoing Megadrought Puts the West in ‘Uncharted Waters’
Scientists say the current drought in the West is the region’s driest 22-year stretch in more than 1,200 years
Water
Skies Are Sucking More Water from the Land
Western states’ “atmospheric thirst” means more fires and strained water supplies
Water
Coastal Cities Are Drinking Themselves Underwater
Cities are sinking as they guzzle groundwater—and oil and gas—from below
Climate Change
Little Snow Is Left in California, Setting Up a Dangerous Wildfire Season
As of April 1, statewide snowpack stood at just 38 percent of the average for that date
