In the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and the EU’s Water Resilience Strategy and against the backdrop of the escalating climate and water crisis, this book presents a timely, urgent, and comprehensive exploration of water from multiple disciplinary lenses. 

Climate change is intensifying water-related challenges globally—affecting water availability, exacerbating extreme weather events, and undermining the predictability and safety of water supplies. As such, this book argues that the climate crisis is fundamentally a water crisis, and that an integrated, systems-level approach is critical to understanding and addressing it.

The book will explore the interconnected roles of chemistry, biology, engineering, social sciences, governance, and economics in managing and protecting water resources. It emphasises how shifts in water systems have profound implications for human health, biodiversity, economic development, and global security. This book highlights the urgent need to incorporate water education in primary and secondary schools to increase society's water and ocean literacy.

Fiona Regan is a Full professor in Chemistry at the School of Chemical Sciences at Dublin City University. Fiona is the Founder and Director of the DCU Water Institute. Fiona’s research focuses on analytical chemistry in the field of environmental monitoring, and she has a special interest in priority and emerging contaminants as well as the establishment of decision support tools for environmental monitoring using novel technologies and data management tools. Her work includes the areas of innovative sensor technology, marine and freshwater monitoring, materials for sensing and antifouling applications on aquatic deployed systems. Her interests include environmental awareness, citizen science and communicating science through media (radio, television and social media @DCUwater).

Dr Eilish McLoughlin is an Associate Professor in the School of Physical Sciences at Dublin City University (DCU). She is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics. Dr McLoughlin has been a leader of physics education research and physics teacher education at Dublin City University since 2000 and has led a range of national and international programmes aimed at improving in-service teachers’ competence and confidence to teach physics/STEM at early childhood, primary and secondary level. Eilish is passionate teacher and researcher in physics/STEM Education and has received the Women in STEM Outstanding Achievement Award (2023), Institute of Physics Lawrence Bragg Medal (2022) and Institute of Physics Lise Meitner Medal (2019).

Dr Yan Delauré is an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Dublin City University and Deputy Director of the DCU Water Institute. He has played a leading role in the development of highly specialised experimental platforms and simulation models to support studies in areas ranging from hydraulic engineering to the hydrodynamics of marine systems. His research interests in fluid dynamics cover fluid structure interactions with a focus on highly flexible thin structures, mass transfers in multiphase flows, and turbulent flow in turbomachines.  Yan has a special interest in the hydrodynamics of marine renewable energy technology and the fascinating transformation they must face when colonised by marine life.