Water in all its forms

While nearly 40 billion tonnes of CO₂ are released into the atmosphere by the combustion of fossil fuels, it has now been established that this gas is partly responsible for global warming. An important proportion of this carbon dioxide is captured naturally by the oceans, vegetation and the soil.

Contrary to popular belief, what if water had always been present on Earth? This is the theory of Laurette Piani and Yves Marrocchi, two CNRS cosmochemists who caused a sensation with their article published in the Science journal in August 2020. By studying enstatite chondrites, minerals very similar to the meteorites that made up the Earth, they realised that from its creation, our planet would have contained all of the elements necessary to create water. This discovery could significantly…

Bio Inspir' studies the depolluting qualities of certain land and aquatic plants. This start-up is especially interested in water mint, a small plant native to the southern French Occitanie region that has exceptional capacities for purifying water containing metallic and organic elements. Used in the form of a powder or alive, this plant can purify contaminated water directly at industrial sites. #BioInspir' finds industrial applications for the research conducted by the laboratoire de Chimie…

Electronic waste contains numerous precious metals, woven together. However, recent technical advances do not allow them to be efficiently recovered and processed. In Orléans, a group of ICAR, CEMHTI and BRMG researchers have developed a solution to this problem with the use of water, in what is known as a "supercritical" state. When this water is heated in a reactor it reaches extreme temperatures and has a powerful corrosive effect. The device was tested on circuit boards, with the aim of…

In the US State of Arizona, it is not unusual to see rivers that have dried up. Some only flow in specific sections or at certain times of the year. They are known as intermittent rivers. At the CNRS iGlobes laboratory, located within the University of Arizona, researchers study these precarious rivers in the city of Tucson, and in the watershed of Las Cienegas.

Elephants, crocodiles, hippopotami… In Botswana, the Okavango delta is a real paradise for the local fauna during the flood, which lasts several months a year. In this documentary, a team of French scientists takes you on board to study the geological, hydrological and climatic features of this unique region.

A very unique phenomenon is taking place on the French Guyanese coastline. In the heart of the mangrove, shoals of mud and vegetation roam along the coasts and greatly modify the contour of the coastline. This dynamic marshland ecosystem is being studied by geographer Antoine Gardel and his team, who have developed observation techniques to better understand this ever-changing natural environment.

Portrait de Maria Concepcion Ovin Ania, Médaille d'argent 2023 du CNRS, directrice de recherche au laboratoire Conditions extrêmes et matériaux : haute température et irradiation, spécialisée dans les carbones nanoporeux pour l'énergie et l'environnement. Recrutée au CNRS en 2017 après une riche carrière en Espagne, les travaux de Conchi Ania sont centrés sur les matériaux nanoporeux, dont les pores de dimensions nanométriques offrent des propriétés exceptionnelles d'adsorption et…

Since the 19th century, western cities have been equipped with all kinds of utilities and networks supplying them with water, gas, electricity, public transport, waste collection and disposal. To supply a city with water is to solve both the problem of distribution in sufficient quantity and also that water potability. Bernard Barraqué, socio-economist and urban planner at CIRED, after a brief historical review, presents the research that has been carried out constantly to improve water…

Ancient societies gave a benefic role to swelling rivers. Nowadays, they are considered as devastating. Men have forgotten that they are dynamical environments, changing and mobile. This film shows the different characteristics of the streams and their evolution, in time and in space.

Scenes in the daily life of the Berbers in an oasis of the western Sahara, Algeria, where the pace is set by rituals calling for rain.

Daily life among the Illabokan Tuaregs of Niger, who settle round a water hole during the dry season. Water supplies are essential during that period.