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  • Retreating Andean glacier with meltwater streams.

    What a small glacier holds

    A glacier you can walk beside, and how many bathtubs of water are locked in it. Read it after “How much water a large glacier holds”.

    13 min read
  • Gloved hand adjusting a stream gauge in meltwater.

    What a river level reading means

    The number on a river gauge, what the metres mean and why a river can drop in a day. Builds on “Where a glass of water comes from”.

    11 min read
  • Stone irrigation canal through terraced fields at dawn.

    How much water a canal carries in a day

    How a stone canal feeds a valley, how fast the water moves and how much goes by in a day. Builds on “How a village tank is shared out”.

    12 min read
  • Water sample bottles and a laptop on a rustic kitchen table.

    What a water shortage means in a headline

    When a headline says shortage, what is actually short: the water, the pipes, the canal or the rain. Builds on “How to read a drought map”.

    9 min read
  • Gloved hand adjusting a stream gauge in meltwater.

    How much a glacier loses in a hot summer

    A hot summer, a shrinking ice tongue and the extra water that runs down the valley, for a while. Builds on “What a small glacier holds”.

    11 min read
  • Water sample bottles and a laptop on a rustic kitchen table.

    A bath, a shower and a shortage

    Why the water in a bath is a small number once you set it beside a field, and what a shortage really counts.

    8 min read
  • Printed field guide open on a truck tailgate with mountains behind.

    How to read a drought map

    The colours on a drought map, what each one means and what the map cannot tell you. Builds on “What a water shortage means in a headline”.

    14 min read
  • Retreating Andean glacier with meltwater streams.

    How much water a large glacier holds

    How much water sits in a large valley glacier, and why a shrinking one matters more than a small one. Builds on “What a small glacier holds”.

    12 min read

Valley Water Notes

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