Latest explainers
One new explainer every Sunday, from a glass of water to a whole glacier.
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”.
Nov 5, 2026 · 13 min readRead: What a small glacier holdsWhat 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”.
Nov 4, 2026 · 11 min readRead: What a river level reading meansHow 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”.
Nov 3, 2026 · 12 min readRead: How much water a canal carries in a dayReading a reservoir that is half full
What the line on the wall of a reservoir tells you, and why half full can mean very different things in a dry year.
Nov 2, 2026 · 10 min readRead: Reading a reservoir that is half fullWhat 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”.
Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min readRead: What a water shortage means in a headlineHow a village tank is shared out
One tank, forty families and a timetable. How a valley decides who gets water and when.
Oct 24, 2026 · 12 min readRead: How a village tank is shared outHow 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”.
Oct 17, 2026 · 11 min readRead: How much a glacier loses in a hot summerHow much water one watering gives a potato field
One watering, one hectare of potatoes and the number of litres it takes. Builds on “How much water a canal carries in a day”.
Oct 10, 2026 · 10 min readRead: How much water one watering gives a potato fieldA 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.
Oct 3, 2026 · 8 min readRead: A bath, a shower and a shortageHow 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”.
Sep 26, 2026 · 14 min readRead: How to read a drought mapHow 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”.
Sep 19, 2026 · 12 min readRead: How much water a large glacier holdsWhat one household uses in a day in the valley
A day of washing, cooking, animals and the garden in one house, with the litres counted. Read it after “How much water a person drinks in a day”.
Sep 12, 2026 · 10 min readRead: What one household uses in a day in the valley
Valley Water Notes
A short letter every Sunday: one piece of water news explained, with the numbers made small.
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