Surface water quality refers to the physicochemical and biological characteristics of water in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, streams, and coastal zones as they relate to ecological integrity, human use, and regulatory standards. It encompasses parameters such as nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus), dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity, suspended solids, salinity, trace metals, organic contaminants, pathogens, and emerging pollutants (e.g., pharmaceuticals, microplastics). Research on surface water quality involves monitoring, modeling contaminant transport and transformation, assessing pollution sources (point and nonpoint), evaluating ecosystem and human health risks, and developing management and remediation strategies within hydrological and biogeochemical frameworks.
Freshwater ecosystems worldwide have been suffering from declining oxygen levels—a trend known as deoxygenation—that threatens biodiversity, fisheries and ecosystem stability. However, a new study published in Nature Geoscience ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 26, 2026
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54
As the United States approaches its 250th birthday celebrations on July 4, Washington, DC's monuments, statues and fountains are being prepared to put on a show.
Bio & Medicine
Jun 24, 2026
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21
Florida International University scientists have, for the first time, detected a toxic tire-derived chemical in Florida waterways and developed a new testing method that makes it easier to find and monitor the pollutant at ...
Environment
Jun 24, 2026
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7
River experts say new satellite technology holds the promise of protecting water quality around the world.
Environment
Jun 17, 2026
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14
The vast majority of Europe's beaches offer "excellent" water quality for swimming, the EU environment agency said Tuesday ahead of the summer season, with coastal nations and inland Austria topping the list.
Environment
Jun 16, 2026
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7
As toxic algal blooms intensify around the world, a renowned Bowling Green State University researcher continues to lead the global conversation on how to prevent them, keeping the university and its Center for Great Lakes ...
Ecology
Jun 11, 2026
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33
Hannah Ray J Childs propelled her kayak into a rapid on Iowa's Maquoketa River on a recent afternoon and dipped her paddle in the water to swing the front of her boat into the air.
Environment
Jun 4, 2026
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11
Scientists have identified the two biggest reasons that once-pristine rivers across the Arctic are growing cloudy with toxic orange iron particles that smother insects and suffocate fish.
Earth Sciences
Jun 2, 2026
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23
Municipalities and federal agencies monitor U.S. waters for microcystins, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, but a University of Michigan study shows that the blooms produce a greater range of potentially ...
Environment
May 27, 2026
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32
Some 1,000 people jogged along the banks of the Mapocho River in Santiago one Sunday afternoon, an activity that would have been unthinkable a few years ago due to its heavily polluted waters.
Environment
May 26, 2026
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11
