Mission: Water Magazine

Get your digital copy of
Mission: Water today!

Clean Danube:

The Danube River—Europe’s second-longest river—is a bustling thoroughfare for shipping, a tranquil refuge for summer holidays, a source of power, and a haven for wildlife. It’s also the conduit for four metric tons of microplastics a day that wash into the Black Sea.

In this cover story for issue #9, read how Andreas Fath—“the Swimming Professor” of Germany’s Furtwangen University—swam the length of the Danube in a monumental 57-day journey to raise awareness of its pollution challenges.

Read Full Story

Featured Articles

Maritime Disaster:

Beneath the crashing, cold waves of the Baltic Sea lies a shipwreck shrouded in mystery and controversy for over 25 years. Recent discoveries at the site have called into question what really happened. Can oceanographic data help uncover the truth?

Read Full Story

Meltdown:

The Colorado River sustains life for a vast expanse of the Western United States. But this resource faces immense challenges, beginning at its source in the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

Read Full Story

Lake Untersee:

The frigid waters of Lake Untersee in Antarctica serve as an incredibly rare modern analog to ancient ecosystems—and may even guide our search for life elsewhere in the universe.

Read Full Story

Invisible Leaks:

Located along Zambia’s border with Zimbabwe, the massive walls of Kariba Dam hold back Lake Kariba. Despite generating significant power for the region, invisible environmental concerns are only now being discovered.

Read Full Story

Past Issues

mission water 8 nitrate nexus

Illuminating the Nitrate Nexus

About 50% of the world’s food production relies on industrial fertilizers. Yet, fertilizers are deeply connected with our changing climate and the quality of our water resources. Explore the connections between agriculture and water quality, the dark history of industrially-produced nitrogen fertilizers, and the challenges of monitoring for nitrate...

READ ISSUE 8

mission water 7 climate first responder

Climate First Responder - Interview with Dr. Tracy Fanara

At Mote Marine Lab, Tracy managed the Environmental Health Program, investigating the effects of marine and freshwater chemicals on public health. Learn how Tracy Fanara’s public relations and citizen science programs helped Florida stem the tide against harmful algal blooms...

READ ISSUE 7

red tide monitoring

Cells to Satellites — Red Tide Monitoring

We spotlight Florida’s recent battles with red tide—including a 16-month ordeal that started around October 2017 and didn’t subside until February 2019—and explore how the state’s approach to managing the ecological fallout has evolved with new technology...

READ ISSUE 6

glacial melt measurements

ON ICE — Melt Models in Greenland

In the past 20-30 years, glacial melting has eclipsed dynamical flow as the main source of water conveyance from glaciers to the ocean. When researchers took field measurements of ice melt in Greenland, they found that the models overestimated runoff by 21 to 58%, raising big questions about what’s missing from the models...

READ ISSUE 5

science behind hurricanes

Eye of the Storm - Interview with Dr. Philip Klotzbach

In this cover story, Dr. Phillip Klotzbach—a Research Scientist from Colorado State University—discusses the science behind hurricanes and how he has led the development of two-week forecasts issued during the peak months of the hurricane season...

READ ISSUE 4

water heroes

Voice of Water - Interview with Philippe Cousteau

Philippe Cousteau has established himself as a prominent leader in the environmental movement. In this Q&A, he discusses his family’s legacy and how his non-profit, EarthEcho International, empowers the next generation of environmental stewards through youth activism...

READ ISSUE 3

deepwater horizon oil spill

Life After Deepwater Horizon

On Tuesday, April 20, 2010, the largest oil spill in history occurred when a sudden explosion and subsequent fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon Platform, located 50 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana. Various organizations and environmental professionals have collaborated to manage the Gulf Coast’s long-term remediation.

READ ISSUE 2

sacred stream

Sacred Stream: FlowTracker Helps Nepal Expedition

The Bagmati River is both a sacred river and a city sewer, running through Napal’s capital city of Kathmandu before heading into the mountains and over the Indian border. See how a 10-day, 100-mile research expedition along the Bagmati River was a touching experience for all involved...

READ ISSUE 1