Lancaster University
Lancaster University is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Expanding large-scale agriculture is escalating flooding in the largest South American breadbasket
A new study revealing that huge expansions of extensive large-scale agriculture is making the South American plains more vulnerable to widespread flooding should act as a “wake-up call”, say researchers. The grasslands of the Argentinean Pampas, famously home to the iconic Gaucho, along with other extensive flat plain areas of South America have been undergoing […]
Study: Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems face ‘collapse’
A combination of climate change, extreme weather and pressure from local human activity is causing a collapse in global biodiversity and ecosystems across the tropics, new research shows. The study, published today, mapped over 100 locations where tropical forests and coral reefs have been affected by climate extremes such as hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, droughts and fires. It […]
Daylight not rain most important for Africa ‘green-up’ phenomenon
Contrary to popular belief, seasonal rains are not the most important factor for starting the growth cycle of plants across Africa. New research shows that the amount of daylight plants receive is the biggest contributing factor to starting the iconic ‘green-up’ phenomenon in Africa – where the continent’s plants and trees grow their leaves. A […]
Researchers discover more than 50 lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet
Researchers have discovered 56 previously uncharted subglacial lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet bringing the total known number of lakes to 60. Although these lakes are typically smaller than similar lakes in Antarctica, their discovery demonstrates that lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet are much more common than previously thought. The Greenland Ice Sheet covers […]