Are we at risk of water shortage? 05-01-2025 DE MARSILY† Ghislain Water on Earth is essentially salty, and it is the evaporation of this water on the oceans that mainly feeds the great water cycle, through…
Waves and swells 05-01-2025 TEMPERVILLE André The waves that we see propagating on the surface of oceans, seas or lakes are usually caused by wind. Waves can also be generated by…
The marine environment 05-01-2025 MOREAU René More than two thirds of the Earth’s surface is occupied by seas and oceans. Heated by the sunshine, the temperature of sea water varies with…
The tides 05-01-2025 SOMMERIA Joël Tide refers to the process of periodic sea level change, usually semi-diurnal (period close to 12 hours), but diurnal in some regions. The tide is…
Plastic pollution at sea: the seventh continent 07-02-2019 TER HALLE Alexandra, PEREZ Emile The world’s largest waste dumpsites are far from our eyes, thousands of kilometres from French territory. They are called the seventh continent because these polluted…
The slow and powerful ocean circulation 05-01-2025 MOREAU René Hidden under the waves, masked by the tides, a powerful circuit travels across the oceans with the sunshine and the friction of the winds on…
Billows below the sea surface – Internal waves 22-12-2025 Li Jiachun The internal temperature and salinity of the ocean are not uniform and always maintain a stable layered structure. Internal waves -which are disturbances of the…
Hydrometry: measuring the flow rate of a river, why and how? 05-01-2025 LALLEMENT Christian Predicting and managing river flows is a necessity for flood control, water supply, agriculture and energy production. However, knowing how to measure these flows is…
Check dams on torrents, why? 05-01-2025 PITON Guillaume In the headwaters of the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Massif Central, mountain torrents are equipped with thousands of torrential check dams. What are they…
The impact of climate change on snow cover and Alpine glaciers: consequences on water resources 05-01-2025 BENISTON Martin The Alpine Rhône illustrates how global warming could influence river flow, not only through changes in precipitation patterns but also through the effect on snow…
How to reconcile dams and sediment transport? 05-01-2025 COURTIN-NOMADE Alexandra True technical feats, dams have a variety of functions. Thanks to hydroelectricity, they are at the forefront of our renewable energy resources. Their reservoirs allow…
Learning to live with rivers, a matter of geomorphology 05-01-2025 PIEGAY Hervé How and why do river beds change? At the interface of several disciplines, geomorphology studies this very particular environment and leads to essential recommendations. What…
Multi-purpose river development: example of the Rhone River 05-01-2025 JOUVE Daniel, MOIROUD Chritsophe In 1933, the Compagnie Nationale du Rhone was created in response to specific needs such as generating electricity, developing navigation and promoting irrigation. New uses…
Natural mineral waters 05-01-2025 LACHASSAGNE Patrick Natural mineral water is water that is exclusively of underground origin, collected either from a spring or by drilling. Defined as such by regulation, it…
Karst, a renewable water resource in limestone rocks 05-01-2025 BAKALOWICZ Michel Studied in the 19th century for its hydrology and particular forms, the Karst region of Slovenia is considered the world reference for landscapes and underground…
Groundwater in granitic and metamorphic rocks? 05-01-2025 LACHASSAGNE Patrick, DEWANDEL Benoît, WYNS Robert Crystalline rocks or “hard” rocks are generally ancient rocks of two main types: plutonic rocks, such as granites, and metamorphic rocks, such as gneiss, schists,…
Phosphorus and eutrophication 05-01-2025 NEMERY Julien Without phosphorus, life is not possible. A fundamental element of life, it is essential to natural ecosystems and agricultural production. However, human activities (agriculture, wastewater,…
Drinking water production, a major public health issue 05-01-2025 LEGUBE Bernard Drinking water supply is a key public health issue. Considerable progress has been made since the end of the 19th century, from the discovery of…
Why and how to treat urban wastewater? 05-01-2025 DE LAAT Joseph Faced with the increase in the world’s population combined with increasing urbanization, access to drinking water and sanitation is still a vital issue for many…
