Courses and contacts

McGill has many researchers in different fields studying water and water issues here at McGill, and there are lots of ways to get involved. For more information, contact the individual department directly.

Water research highlight

Tom Gleeson (Department of Civil Engineering) and colleagues have been working on a new, aquifer-scale tool to evaluate the global use, renewal, and services of groundwater. This tool will help assess the impact of our water consumption on natural stocks and flows, and pinpoint areas where unsustainable groundwater withdrawals are occurring. Look for his article in Nature:  Water balance of global aquifers revealed by groundwater footprint. For those who prefer listening, other coverage includes a Nature podcast and interviews on public radio in Germany (dradio.de), Australia (ABC) and New York.

Brace Centre for Water Resources Management

The Brace Centre for Water Resources Management is located on the Macdonald Campus and brings together staff from several McGill faculties to undertake research, teaching, specialized training, and policy and strategic studies in water resources management, both in Canada and internationally. Researchers currently affiliated with the Centre are drawn from the following McGill Faculties: Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Science, Law, and Management.

Water collection system

Another project funded by the McGill Sustainability Fund, the Household Rainwater Harvesting demonstration at the Macdonald Campus shows how rainwater can be collected and used to irrigate plants. For more information, please read the rainwater_harvesting_brochure.pdf or contact Professors Jan Adamowski and Mark Lefsrud, Department of Bioresource Engineering, at 514-398-7773.

Photo credits: Allison Busgang

GRIL

The Group for Interuniversity Research in Limnology and Aquatic Enviroments is a major Canadian research consortium studying freshwater ecology. GRIL comprises researchers, grad students, post docs, and research assistants from seven Quebec universities -- including McGill -- and one research institute. Topics being studied include how resource usage and development (e.g., forestry, hydroelectricity, agriculture), invasive species, and residential development near shorelnes impact aquatic organisms and their habitats.

Water research at McGill

 Bioresource Engineering

•   Chandra Madramootoo, Edward McKyes, Murray Clamen (IWRM: Integrated Water Resources Management), Jan.Adamowski [at] mcgill.ca (Jan Adamowski)

 Civil Engineering

• tom.gleeson [at] mcgill.ca (Tom Gleeson), susan.gaskin [at] mcgill.ca (Susan Gaskin), subhasis.ghosal [at] mcgill.ca (Subhasis Ghosal), jung.liu [at] mcgill.ca (Jing Liu), Dominic.Frigon [at] mcgill.ca (Dominic Frigon)

Earth and Planetary Sciences

• Jeff.McKenzie [at] mcgill.ca (Jeff McKenzie)

Geography

• Bernhard.Lehner [at] mcgill.ca (Bernhard Lehner), Naveen.Ramukutty [at] mcgill.ca (Naveen Ramukutty), Michel.Lapointe [at] mcgill.ca (Michel Lapointe), Nigel.Roulet [at] mcgill.ca (Nigel Roulet)

Water-related courses