Water

Extreme summer impacts ice shelves and glaciers

The summer of 2020 will leave a deep wound in the cryosphere, with a major impact in the Northern hemisphere, increasing wildfire and flood risk, reports the WMO.

Bushfires meet old septic tanks: An outbreak is only a matter of time

Damage to septic tanks is one of the health hazards people face when returning to their bushfire-affected homes. It was luck a disease outbreak didn't happen last summer.

Building codes could protect water systems from wildfire contamination

New study calls for upgrading building codes to keep wildfires from causing widespread contamination of drinking water systems.

Forest thinning and prescribed burns boost runoff - Study

New research provides tools to estimate how thinning and prescribed burn can contribute to significant increases in downstream water availability.

Heavy rains: Good news for Sydney’s dams, but come with a big caveat

Floodwaters could wash bushfire debris into reservoirs and likely overwhelm water treatment systems. Preparing now for that worst-case pollution scenario is essential.

Buried in mud: Wildfires threaten North American water supplies

A recent global analyses shows almost every continent's water supply faces high risk from wildfires, it is becoming an emerging challenge in North America.

Flood warnings as heavy rain forecast across burnt out regions in NSW

While rainfall is welcome, the risk of organic debris ending up in waterway could reduce water quality and trigger fish deaths.

Amazon fires contribute to Andean glacier melting

New research finds that black carbon emissions produced by fires in the Amazon cause glaciers in the Andes to absorb more sunlight, increasing their rate of melting.