Hand under a stream of water

About

Water security means making sure there is enough water of the right quality in the right place at the right time for people, farming, businesses and the environment. With 500+ academics across four leading UK research institutions, the GW4 Water Security Alliance (WSA) is the largest UK water research consortium – and one of theContinue reading About

Big stones in a river in a forest

Postgraduate training

We foster the next generation of water leaders by providing interdisciplinary training environments. Doctoral Training NERC Centre for doctoral training: Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment Towards Sustainable Chemical Use The ECORISC Centre for Doctoral Training will produce a generation of innovator scientists that can identify, understand and effectively manage the risks of chemicals through the use ofContinue reading Postgraduate training

Close up of wave

Current Research

Our Themes Water in a Changing World Water Innovations Integrated Natural and Engineered Water Systems examples of our current research

Video Library

Many events we hold will be recorded and archived here in our online video library. In some cases, presenters include unpublished data. You are welcome to view the recordings, but please do not distribute or publish individual details.

Cookie Policy

This site uses cookies – small text files that are placed on your machine to help the site provide a better user experience. In general, cookies are used to retain user preferences, store information for things like shopping baskets, and provide anonymised tracking data to third party applications like Google Analytics. As a rule, cookiesContinue reading Cookie Policy

Aerial photo of a flooded neighbourhood

Study compares floodplain protection today to predicted future flood losses

A new study by scientists from The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the University of Bristol and flood analytics company Fathom, seeks to answer an important question related to flooding in the United States – pay now to protect undeveloped areas that are likely to flood in the future or allow developments to go ahead and payContinue reading Study compares floodplain protection today to predicted future flood losses

Hand using tap to fill an overflowing glass of water

CREWW

A £10.5 million investment will fund world-leading research into the provision of safe and resilient water services in the UK and overseas. Visit the CREWW website

DOMAINE

A £2.6m NERC-funded project assessing Dissolved Organic Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus flux to aquatic ecosystems, to improve control and aid policy development. Visit the DOMAINE website

Colourful bird flying with a fish

DURESS

A £3.2m multidisciplinary, multi-institutional Research Council initiative, assessing the role of biodiversity in delivering the key ecosystem services on which we rely. Visit the DURESS website

Person watering plants

Glamurs

A €6.3m EU-funded project supporting policymakers, businesses, and citizens to make the right decisions for a transition to sustainable lifestyles and green economies. Visit the Glamurs website

Dry earth and grass

MaRIUS

A £3.4m NERC-funded project introducing a risk-based approach to drought and water scarcity, in order to inform management decisions and prepare households. Visit the MaRIUS website

Aerial photo of city and river

MARS

A €9.2m EU-funded consortium spanning 17 countries, investigating how multiple stressors – from urban and agricultural land use, water power generation and climate change – affect rivers, lakes and estuaries. Visit the MARS website

Wooden sign coming out of water

SINATRA

A £3.6m NERC-funded programme advancing scientific understanding of the processes determining the probability, incidence, and impacts of flooding from intense rainfall. Visit the SINATRA website

Stones in a river in a forest

SWEEP

A £4.1m NERC-funded initiative bringing together academic experts, businesses and policy makers to solve some of the challenges involved in managing, utilising and improving the natural environment. Visit the SWEEP website

Aerial photo of a hazy city

trust

A €7.0m EU-funded project that unites 30 partners across eleven countries to develop innovations and tools for a more sustainable water future.

Facilities

University of Bath Coastal monitoring instrumentation Water tanks with sediments Water quality labs Water treatment labs Waste water treatment labs Material and Chemical Characterisation Facility (MC²) University of Bristol Catchment monitoring infrastructure Distributed catchment monitoring platform Biogeochemistry analytical and experimental platform Hydrometeorological station Hydrological modelling capability Ecological monitoring platforms and experimental facilities Facilities for growthContinue reading Facilities

NextGen

The project will look at demonstrating technologies with a potential to contribute to reuse and recovery of resources within a perspective of circular economy. Visit the NextGen website

Water in a Changing World

Science for the predictive understanding of water resources in a changing world. Future changes in freshwater resources will impact on environment and ecosystem processes and our understanding of adaptation mechanisms.  Water in a Changing World includes studies into improving public awareness of freshwater resources and influencing human behaviour to mitigate against harmful future impacts.  Water in aContinue reading Water in a Changing World

Water Innovations

Novel tools and approaches to deliver transformative water solutions. Nurturing our current and future researcher teams is our top priority, providing a productive environment in which their concepts can be developed and career ambitions realised.  From postgraduate researchers to senior academics, our research community develops world-leading ideas and technological initiatives that provide a catalyst for economicContinue reading Water Innovations

View of desert

Water scarcity challenges under climate change in East African drylands

Dr Katerina Michaelides, Head of Dryland Research Group at the School of Geographical Sciences and Cabot Institute for the Environment, University of Bristol, writes for the Cabot Institute blog to celebrate World Water Day. Her research focuses on how climate and climate change translates into useable water in the ground in East African dryland regions, and how peopleContinue reading Water scarcity challenges under climate change in East African drylands

Dry land at sunset

Challenges of climate change and its impact on water resources for vulnerable regions

The theme for this year’s World Water Day (22nd March) is ‘water and climate change’ and how the two are inextricably linked. Dr Michael Singer, Senior Lecturer in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences and Deputy Director of the Water Research Institute at Cardiff University explains how GW4 researchers, part of the GW4 Water Security Alliance, areContinue reading Challenges of climate change and its impact on water resources for vulnerable regions

Exeter CWS win #EUvsVirus Hackathon

Experts from the University of Exeter Centre for Water Systems have won a prestigious award in an international European Commission competition to develop pioneering solutions to aid the recovery from pandemics, such as COVID-19. Read more

DOWN2EARTH

An international team of researchers and organisations help tackle food and water insecurity in the Horn of Africa Drylands (HAD). Image credit: BBC Media Action

WSA scientists lead ‘DOWN2EARTH’ tackling African climate change resilience

The DOWN2EARTH project is led by WSA scientists at Cardiff University in collaboration with WSA academics from the University of Bristol, and 13 other partners in 7 countries. The project will employ state-of-the-art seasonal forecasts and decadal projections of climate change and translate this into clear and concise information that can be used by farmersContinue reading WSA scientists lead ‘DOWN2EARTH’ tackling African climate change resilience

FRESH CDT students win 1st place at the NERC COVID-19 Hackathon on ecosystems services

Congratulations to the second Cohort of the GW4 FRESH Centre for Doctoral Training who came first in NERC Digital Sprints Hackathon this month! This specific Hackathon was focused on ecosystems services and seek to understand the impact of natural capital and ecosystem services on the spread of COVID-19.  Their project ‘2FRESH2FURIOUS’ looked at how greenContinue reading FRESH CDT students win 1st place at the NERC COVID-19 Hackathon on ecosystems services

Royal Academy of Engineering Award for WSA Scientist’s Sewers4COVID project

Experts from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Water Systems have received a prestigious award for their exceptional engineering achievements in tackling COVID-19. Professor Dragan Savic, Dr Lydia Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia, Professor Albert Chen, Dr Mehdi Khoury and Gareth Lewis have received the Royal Academy of Engineering President’s Special Award for Pandemic Service for their pivotal workContinue reading Royal Academy of Engineering Award for WSA Scientist’s Sewers4COVID project

WSA EVENTS

World Water Day Cabot Event 2023 The Cabot Institute for the Environment at Bristol University are hosting an in-person celebration and exploration of water-related research at Bristol and beyond. The theme of World Water Day (Tuesday 2 May) this year is: ‘accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis’ and the invited speaker isContinue reading WSA EVENTS

Conference Proceedings

GW4 WSA PhD Conference 2020 PhD students from across the GW4 organised a three-day conference to explore knowledge transfer between science and community. The conference included a variety of keynote presentations, as well as a flash talk competition in which PhD students were invited to present their research in under three minutes. A selection ofContinue reading Conference Proceedings

Important Scientific Data goes Public in Water Industry First

A new database that contains important information on trace chemicals found in treated wastewater has gone live and, in a water industry first, is being made publicly available for anyone to access. The Chemicals Investigations Programme Database contains final effluent data from 600 wastewater treatment works in England and Wales from the past 5 years.Continue reading Important Scientific Data goes Public in Water Industry First

UN World Water Day – online events across the WSA 22-26 March 2021

To celebrate United Nations World Water Day this year, you are warmly invited to participate in a series of online events taking place across the Water Security Alliance between 22 – 26 March 2021. The theme of this year’s World Water Day, Valuing Water, is about what water means to people, its true value andContinue reading UN World Water Day – online events across the WSA 22-26 March 2021

Engineering Research Showcase 19-23 April

The University of Bristol invites you to attend its inaugural Engineering Research Showcase. Through a series of panel debates and talks, this virtual event will showcase some of the exciting and leading research taking place across its Faculty of Engineering.

Find an expert

We bring together researchers from across the GW4 to collaborate on a range of interdisciplinary water issues. If you are looking for an academic with specific skills, would like to be introduced to one of our affiliated researchers, or would like to join our researcher database, please contact us at wsainfo@cf.ac.uk.

WSA Webinars engage global audience

Despite the Water Security Alliance operational team having been in existence for less than 2 years, they are making huge strides in the development of a global network of supporters. Since launching in October 2020 the WSA’s Friday afternoon Webinar series has attracted nearly 500 subscribers globally, with 41 different countries connected via the Alliance. Twenty-twoContinue reading WSA Webinars engage global audience

Winners of Ofwat Innovation in Water Challenge announced

Ofwat have announced the winners of its inaugural Innovation in Water challenge competition. Eleven collaborative projects will receive up to £250k each to tackle the biggest issues facing the water sector in England and Wales. Of the 11 successful projects, 7 involve local water companies – Bristol Water, Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water), South West WaterContinue reading Winners of Ofwat Innovation in Water Challenge announced

Water, Infrastructure and Extreme Events Workshops

The WSA’s Water, Infrastructure and Extreme Events Special Interest Research Group will be hosting workshops during May, to help better connect stakeholders with GW4 researchers in addressing the impact of extreme events on managed assets and infrastructure, in the region.  The workshops are: 5 May 2021: Urban Planning – focusing on Cardiff City Council’s concerns about future floodContinue reading Water, Infrastructure and Extreme Events Workshops

PhD students invited to an International L’Eau Down with GWF and WSA

All invited! come and join the GW4 Water Security Alliance on June 7th 2021, for the next in our series of international water research presentations with our Canadian partners at Global Water Futures Young Professionals. This is our third event; and we are keen to engage more PhD students studying in all areas of waterContinue reading PhD students invited to an International L’Eau Down with GWF and WSA

Participants around a table at Water Security Alliance annual conference in black and white

Meet the Team

The GW4 Water Security Alliance brings together a community of interdisciplinary researchers, spanning disciplines from Natural, Earth, Biological and Social Sciences to Economics and Engineering. Our grassroots organisation is led by researchers representing all GW4 institutions. DIRECTOR & CO-DIRECTORS Professor Isabelle Durance CARDIFF UNIVERSITY Professor jan Hofman UNIVERSITY OF BATH Professor Penny johnes UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL ProfessorContinue reading Meet the Team

RESEARCH THEMES

WATER IN A CHANGING WORLD Science for the predictive understanding of water resources in a changing world. Future changes in freshwater resources will impact on environment and ecosystem processes and our understanding of adaptation mechanisms.  Water in a Changing World includes studies into improving public awareness of freshwater resources and influencing human behaviour to mitigate against harmfulContinue reading RESEARCH THEMES

NERC Centre for Doctoral Training in Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability

Since October 2018 the NERC Centre for Doctoral Training in Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability (FRESH CDT) has provided a world-class doctoral research and training environment, harnessing expertise from the GW4 universities as well as the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and British Geological Survey. The FRESH CDT builds on the GW4 legacy in exemplary doctoralContinue reading NERC Centre for Doctoral Training in Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability