If we throw something into a river, how long will it take to reach a certain location downstream? We talk to Prof. Ian Guymer from the University of Sheffield about our increasingly complex models of this deceptively simple problem.

On a few examples of aquatic metaphors that invoke some of the most important philosophical concepts.

We can hardly imagine the Earth without majestic trees and omnipresent shrubs. But not all of us realize that these plants owe their success to ubiquitous yet often unnoticeable fungi. What links these two types of organisms together is life-giving water. It is the reason why trees and fungi have been inseparable for hundreds of millions of years. How do droughts affect trees and their evolutionarily ancient symbiosis with fungi?

Poland is among the countries that are facing water stress, although we largely remain accustomed to having water always there when we need it. Should we take this unrestricted access for granted?

On the presence of the sea in Polish painting.

Water is essential for plant growth and development, and the degree of its availability significantly shapes ecosystems in different climate zones. How does an overabundance or deficiency of water affect the flora in Poland and different parts of the world?

The successful design and implementation of hydroengineering projects crucially rests upon three collaborative pillars of research: field observations, physical models, and mathematical models.

Prof. Monika Kalinowska and Dr. Agata Goździk of the PAS Institute of Geophysics talk about ways to bolster public awareness of water issues.

Multi-purpose reservoirs play an important role in satisfying demands for water supply, irrigation, hydropower, drinking water, flood protection, recreation, navigation, and other purposes. At the same time, they can often have considerable negative impacts on the environment and local biodiversity that remain largely unseen. These “dirty secrets” include sediment deposition, cyanobacteria blooms, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Forecasts suggest that the freshwater resources available to our civilization will shrink by 30% in the coming two decades. How can we reverse the degradation of water resources and create a balance between the society’s demand for water and the capacity of the hydrosphere?

On Poland’s surface waters restoration program.

Prof. Tomasz Okruszko explains what role wetlands play in the environment and how they are affected by human activity.

Environmental hydraulics is a sub-branch of environmental fluid mechanics that deals with the movement of water and transport processes in both natural water bodies and engineered waterways. Techniques developed to evaluate flow resistance in man-made conduits can be successfully applied to natural waterways.