Water in a changing world
Understanding the impact of climate and socioeconomic change on water and the environment.
Key contacts
Professor Michael Singer
Professor Deputy Director of the Water Research Institute
- singerm2@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 6257
About
We live in a changing world, which is especially pronounced in the hydrosphere. Floods, droughts, poor water quality, disparities in regional access to water - these are all great environmental challenges for societies and ecosystems, and they are being exacerbated and complicated by a changing climate. Intertwined with these are a range of socioeconomic and political drivers such as population growth, increased urbanisation, land conversion, industrialization, which create immense challenges for solving water-related environmental problems that affect human society and ecosystems.
In this theme, our broad interdisciplinary team of researchers work in various countries and environments to answer questions including:
- How can we ensure access to sufficient water supplies of clean water for people (UN Sustainable Development Goal 6) and ecosystems?
- How will this access be affected by climate change and anthropogenic pressures?
- How can we co-develop solutions with stakeholders for climate adaptation and societal resilience to extreme weather events, a shifting climate, and associated changes in the hydrosphere?
Current initiatives
Find out more about our ongoing research activities:
PhD projects
Does riparian woodland increase the resilience of stream ecosystems to floods and droughts?
- Student: Fiona Joyce
- Lead supervisor: Ian Vaughan
- Partners: Forest Research and Woodland Trust
Flood modelling in the Severn Valley
- Student: Sam Rowley
- Lead supervisor: Shunqi Pan
Understanding the evolution of riparian forests in Arizona
- Student: Romy Sabathier
- Lead supervisor: Michael Singer
Improving estimates of land evapotranspiration
- Student: Kasongo Emmanuel Shutsha
- Lead supervisor: Adrian Chappell
Detection of forest water stress due to climate change in drought-prone regions of the Southwestern USA
- Student: Maria Warter
- Lead supervisor: Michael Singer
Past initiatives
Related webinars
'The human right to water and the urban water challenge, Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa' by Dr Adrian Healy
'Global challenges of water security under the influence of climate change' by Dr Michael Singer
Theme members
Drawing on interdisciplinary knowledge to provide a broad outlook on water problems.