Search

There is an emerging consensus in the scientific community that climate change has the potential to significantly alter prevailing hydrologic patterns in California over the course of the 21st Century. This is of profound importance for a system where large investments have been made in hydraulic infrastructure that has been designed and is operated to harmonize dramatic temporal and spatial water supply and water demand variability. Recent work by the authors led to the creation of an integrated hydrology/water management climate change impact assessment framework that can be used to identify tradeoffs between important ecosystem services provided by the California water system associated with future climate change and to evaluate possible adaptation strategies. In spite of the potential impact of climate change, and the availability of a tool for investigating its dimensions, actual water management decision-making processes in California have yet to fully integrate climate change analysis into their planning dialogues. This paper presents an overview of decision-making processes ranked based on the application of a 3S: Sensitivity, Significance, and Stakeholder support, standard, which demonstrates that while climate change is a crucial factor in virtually all water-related decision making in California, it has not typically been considered, at least in any analytical sense. The three highest ranked processes are described in more detail, in particular the role that the new analytical framework could play in arriving at more resilient water management decisions. The authors will engage with stakeholders in these three processes, in hope of moving climate change research from the academic to the policy making arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To be operationally sustainable, any system of environmental management needs to be based on a truly holistic assessment of all of the relevant factors influencing it. This is of course a daunting task, demanding as it does detailed and reliable data, not only from both the physical and social sciences, but also incorporating some representation of that part of knowledge which could be described as non-scientific. This could be said to include the uncertainties of market forces and political will, as well as traditional knowledge systems, and artistic representation. Recognising the limitations of our own knowledge system is important if we are to make progress in the achievement of sustainability. The development of less deterministic models is a step forward in that direction. This paper provides some discussion on the challenges associated with the integration of data from different disciplines, and the application of that data at different scales. Alternative approaches to the assessment of water resources for policy making are highlighted, and the validity of using such assessments at different scales is discussed. Using the Water Poverty Index as illustration, examples are provided of how an integrated assessment framework can be used to provide consistency and transparency in decision-making, and how this can, in practice, be applied at a variety of scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently debate within the international hydrological community on whether hydrological science should give priority to providing measurements, knowledge, and understanding pre-determined as being needed by stakeholders, or priority to more basic enquiry-driven science that will stimulate the continued health and growth of hydrology as an important Earth science discipline. Two recent major international initiatives in hydrology reflect these two perspectives. One, the Hydrology for the Environment, Life, and Policy (HELP) program, is primarily fostered by UNESCO-IHP and is focused on stimulating the stakeholder-driven hydrological science required in specific catchments that have become members of a global network. The second, the decade on Prediction in Ungauged Basins (PUB), which is appropriately managed by IAHS, is primarily driven by scientific enquiry and is focused on creating new scientific methods and understanding, albeit with practical application ultimately in mind. This paper summarizes the nature, origins, growth, and progress of these two international programs but also describes the subtly different approach that has been adopted by the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Center for Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA). NSF is a federal agency whose primary goal is to "enable the future" by stimulating novel science. Because SAHRA is a federally-funded entity supported by an agency with this goal, the Center clearly cannot operate in stakeholder-driven, response mode in competition with the already effective private U.S. consultancy industry. Nonetheless, SAHRA's mission is to create knowledge and build understanding that will enhance the prospects of sustainable water management in semi-arid regions, especially the southwestern U.S. To resolve this apparent conflict, SAHRA looks ahead to future stakeholder needs and builds its research agenda around selected critical stakeholder-relevant questions that require substantial and sustained investment in basic, multidisciplinary, enquiry-driven science. This paper describes SAHRA's approach and reports on associated research and outreach activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that water resource management demands an integrated assessment of resource use options, including local and regional impacts on the environment and stakeholders. Multiple issues, stakeholders and scales of system behaviour must be considered, as well as the key disciplines within and between the human and natural sciences. Modelling is a critical tool in integrated assessment. It enables effects of policy interventions, climate forcing and demographics to be predicted (although with some uncertainty), and provides a means of expanding understanding of river basin behaviour. It also acts as a vehicle for social learning among various interest groups. This paper discusses the various frameworks and methods being used for integrated modelling, and their suitability and unfulfilled potential for these purposes. The frameworks include coupled component models, systems dynamics models, metamodels, risk-assessment approaches, Bayesian decision networks, agent-based methods, expert systems and other heuristic knowledge-based techniques. Specific software platforms are not considered but the lessons from software development and implementation are clearly spelt out. The paper presents three Australian case studies in integrated assessment. They vary in their range of catchment/watershed sizes, hydroclimatology, issues of concern and stakeholders engaged. Two of them utilise a coupled component modelling framework and the third a Bayesian decision network approach. The paper illustrates the value, problems and lessons of integrated assessment and modelling. In particular it proposes some ways to address the challenges of assessing options to obtain more sustainable basin-wide outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Water Framework Directive provides a new impetus to manage river catchments in more integrated, joined-up ways. This article looks at the role of stakeholders in integrated catchment management. Taking the work of the Environment Agency as a case study, the article begins by looking at recent successes at managing water related issues and the role of stakeholders in this. It then looks at ways in which water environments continue to be vulnerable, particularly to diffuse pollution, some development practices and climatic changes. It argues for the need for more integrated management responses, characterised by collaborative and inter-disciplinary learning to manage the interdependencies, complexities and uncertainties of catchments as integrated systems. This will require both the strengthening and streamlining of current approaches to stakeholder engagement, as well as the development of new approaches. The article concludes by outlining recent work by the Environment Agency to shape these new arrangements for stakeholder engagement, and by reflecting on the lessons learned from this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the hydrological and socio-economic complexity of water use within river basins and even sub-basins, it is a considerable challenge to manage water resources in an efficient, equitable and sustainable way. This paper shows that multi-agent simulation (MAS) is a promising approach to better understand the complexity of water uses and water users within sub-basins. This approach is especially suitable to take the collective action into account when simulating the outcome of technical innovation and policy change. A case study from Chile is used as an example to demonstrate the potential of the MAS framework. Chile has played a pioneering role in water policy reform by privatizing water rights and promoting trade in such rights, devolving irrigation management authority to user groups, and privatizing the provision of irrigation infrastructure. The paper describes the different components of a MAS model developed for four micro-watersheds in the Maule river basin. Preliminary results of simulation experiments are presented, which show the impacts of technical change and of informal rental markets on household income and water use efficiency. The paper also discusses how the collective action problems in water markets and in small-scale and large-scale infrastructure provision can be captured by the MAS model. To promote the use of the MAS approach for planning purposes, a collaborative research and learning framework has been established, with a recently created multi-stakeholder platform at the regional level (Comisión Regional de Recursos Hidricos) as the major partner. Finally, the paper discusses the potentials of using MAS models for water resources management, such as increasing transparency as an aspect of good governance. The challenges, for example the need to build trust in the model, are discussed as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Volta River Basin occupies over 400,000 km2 within the sub-humid to semi-arid West African savanna zone. The basin is shared by six riparian nations, among which Ghana (40% of basin area) and Burkina Faso (43%) are the most important in terms of population, water use and economic activity. Basin precipitation averages around 1,000mm per year, with a steep south to north gradient, and less than 10% becomes usable as runoff due to high evaporation rates. Historically, rainfall is erratic and unreliable, a situation likely to be exacerbated as a consequence of global climate change. Basin inhabitants are largely rural and poor, with per capita incomes falling well below Sub-Saharan African standards, and only 37% (Burkina Faso) to 62% (Ghana) have access to improved sources of drinking water. Basin population is expanding by over 2.5% annually, effectively doubling every 28 years. Irrigation, the dominant consumptive use of water in the northern and central basin, competes directly with hydro-power generation in the south for available water resources, and the demand for water to serve these and other uses is projected to increase dramatically over the next two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following some definitions of IWRM within a context of integrated catchment management, and a summary of the major goals and strategies as well as scale considerations in IWRM, this paper highlights some differences between IWRM in Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs), i.e. the so-called "South", and Developed Countries (DCs), i.e. the socalled "North", by outlining characteristics of DCs and LDCs which shape their respective needs in IWRM. Thereafter inherent problems in regard to IWRM in LDCs are identified. This is followed by examples from four case studies in southern African catchments which focus on some of the uniquenesses of IWRM issues in LDCs which, in the author's experiences, are often forgotten by theorists and practitioners from the "North", viz. that while catchment studies tend to emphasise mainstem river discharge characteristics, these are not the sources of rural water supply problems in LDCs (a case study from the Thukela HELP catchment in South Africa);water poverty is acute in many meso-scale catchments and is likely to be exacerbated by global warming (again, a case study from the Thukela catchment);water quality problems for the rural poor, who are still without potable water supplies, frequently revolve around the biological health of rivers, rather than those related to chemical or physical water quality (a case study from the Mgeni catchment in South Africa); andclimate change may have severe impacts on both within-country reservoir management and out-of-country outflow obligations to downstream countries on already stressed catchments dominated by high water demanding irrigated crops (a case study from the Mbuluzi catchment in Swaziland). In each case study simulation modelling has been used as a tool in IWRM. A concluding section therefore focuses on some selected problems which have been identified by the author in regard to hydrological modelling in LDCs. These revolve around issues of governance, human resources and practicalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global change fundamentally changes the nature of water-related problems. We will illustrate this by showing how perceptions of the water-problems in the Netherlands have shifted in the past four decades. The nature of water-related problems changed from a technical problem to a so-called ‘persistent' problem, characterized by plurality, uncertainty and complexity. Although integrated water resource management (IWRM) has been advocated to cope with this type of problem, the complexity of the transition process towards such a water management regime is often underestimated. Therefore, transition management is needed in the water sector. Transition management theory is presented and applied to the Dutch case. Transition management strategies are suggested that would reinforce this transition. Comparison between the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) and transition management indicates that the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) in its current form is not sufficiently stimulating an innovation climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water shortages and related environmental degradation in North China are major issues facing the country. As runoff from the mountainous parts of the region steadily decrease and water resources become overcommitted, serious water and environmental problems have resulted. These include drying-up of rivers, decline in groundwater levels, degradation of lakes and wetlands, and water pollution. Thus, 4000 km of the lower reaches of the Hai River — some 40% of its length — has experienced zero flows and, as result, parts of this river have become an ephemeral stream. The area of wetland within the Basin has decreased from 10,000 km2 at the beginning of 1950s to 1,000 km2 at present. Over-extraction of groundwater occurs beneath 70% of the North China Plain, with the total groundwater over-extraction estimated at 90 billion m3. Thus, problems of water shortage and related environmental issues in North China have become the most significant limiting factors affecting sustainable development in this important region of China. This paper addresses the water security issues facing North China in the 21st Century using the Hai River basin as an example. We describe hydrologic cycles under changing environments, water-saving agriculture, assessment of water resource security, and efforts towards achieving integrated catchment management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical deforestation has many consequences, amongst which alteration of the hydrological cycle and loss of habitat and biodiversity are the focus of much public interest and scientific research. Here we examine the potential biodiversity and hydrological impacts of an extreme deforestation scenario — the loss of all tropical forest areas currently identified by the World Wildlife Fund as being threatened. Existing tropical forest areas are first classified according to two categories of biological distinctiveness — high and low — using indicators developed by the WWF. We apply the tropical deforestation scenario to a macroscale hydrologic model, keeping track of the share of change in basin runoff that originates from the deforestation of areas of high versus low biological distinctiveness and where that change could impact human populations. Of particular interest are those basins where loss of the most threatened tropical forest areas would give rise to significant biodiversity loss and to potentially large hydrological impacts. In such cases it is conceivable that biodiversity conservation could "free-ride" on the concerns of resident populations to maintain the forests for the purpose of minimizing hydrological change. Where such an outcome seems likely, biodiversity conservation efforts might be better targeted elsewhere, perhaps to basins where the loss of forest areas with high biological distinctiveness would have less population impacts, hence requiring an alliance between biological and hydrological interests to gain sufficient social and financial support for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global research programs related to river basin water resources have at least two things in common: (1) they assess and model hydrological process dynamics on a macro scale and (2) research partners jointly working on such research issues are internationally distributed in different institutions. These prerequisites require a sophisticated and scale bridging data assessment and information management comprising geo-referenced distributed data components, measured or simulated time series, and socio-economic information. Networking such international research structures by means of the internet pose new challenges to Geoinformatics in respect to the design of a Web based distributed database system, metadata and GIS-information management, geo-referenced data query and visualization. Such data management must include powerful and efficient data exchanging software tools and information sharing policies to ensure that decision making can jointly be done on the base of the best information available. Geoinformation includes raster and vector GIS coverages, measured process time series data and associated metadata. Furthermore there are needs to integrate multidisciplinary information and research knowledge related to IWRM comprising information obtained by remote sensing, GIS analysis, modeling, and socio-economic assessments for vulnerability and mitigation. Addressing these challenges and to cope with such data organization and management tasks the Adaptive Integrated Data Information System (AIDIS) has been developed by the DGHM at the FSU-Jena. It is based on open source software (OSS) and a multi tier class hierarchy structure. AIDIS has implemented the full ISO 19115 metadata model, and enhances its structure if required e.g. for time series or documents. A first prototype was developed for the Challenge Program "Water and Food" (CPWF) of the CGIAR and has been improved and refined for the Tisza River basin within the "Tisza River" EU-project comprising at present about one hundred GIS maps and more than 5000 measured and simulated time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several recent studies warn that under ‘Business-as-Usual' a water crisis is impending, suggesting that appropriate actions need to be taken on the water supply and demand side. While many measures to alleviate water scarcity are within the water sector, it is increasingly recognized that many drivers, policies and institutions outside the water sector have large and real implications on how water is being allocated and used. Important drivers for water use include population and income growth, urbanization, trade and other macroeconomic policies, environmental regulations and climate policy. While some of these processes and trends, especially those at global level, may prove difficult to influence directly, it is important to understand their linkages with water issues to analyze the relative impact of various policies in the agricultural and water sectors on water and food security. The strong linkages between economic trends, agricultural policies and water use call for an integrated and multidisciplinary modelling approach. The WATERSIM model, developed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a suitable tool to explore the impacts of water and food related policies on global and regional water demand and supply, food production and the environment. This paper introduces the WATERSIM model and, using some preliminary results, illustrates the importance of global economic trends on food and water outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Urema River basin is the major sub catchment of the Pungue River basin situated in Central Mozambique. The Urema River basin controls the ecosystem of the Lake Urema, which with its extended flood plains forms a major feature of the Gorongosa National Park. The Urema River influences the flood and low water levels of the Pungue River, which is the main source of potable water of Beira — the second largest city of Mozambique. The area of the Urema river basin is densely populated and intensively used for subsistence agriculture, timber production, widely spread gold mining, tourism and nature conservation. A university project aiming at developing a model of the groundwater dynamics and assessing groundwater qualities of the Urema River basin was recently initiated. Up to now very few groundwater investigations were conducted in Mozambique. Current database management of groundwater data is poorly developed. Data are kept in tabular formats and serve mainly for record keeping purposes. Confronted with these challenges the presentation demonstrates the project's approaches of linking the various database sources to achieve a large to medium scale concept of the hydrodynamics of the Urema River basin. Based on current project findings the improvement of the resolution of digital data from current small to larger scales is necessary to enhance information contents. Further geochronological investigations are required to understand the geological evolution of the area and to update the stratigraphic order of geological formations. In future a groundwater-monitoring network needs to be established to capture long-term and baseline data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the research presented in this manuscript is to model the outflow discharge and nutrient load at the outlet of small scale, mainly agricultural catchments. There to two approaches for the simulation of the transport of water and the transport and transformation of nitrogen in the stream were tested and compared. Both approaches use the DRAINMOD and the DRAINMOD-N models to simulate the hydrology and the nitrogen balance of the land phase at the scale of a field/field block/sub-catchment. Both models are used to generate the drain outflow and the nitrate concentration of the drainage water of the field unit considered. The contribution of the field units to the nutrient load of the river are calculated by multiplying the simulated flow weighted N concentrations with drain outflows. In a first approach, called the lumped approach, the water discharge and the nutrient load of field blocks are routed through the river using an exponential model. In this model the nitrate contribution of an individual field block to the nitrate load in the river outlet is calculated assuming first order nutrient decay/attenuation during the transport of the drainage water from the field outlet to the river outlet. The arrival at the outlet section of the nitrate plumes of the field blocks are phased in time based on the velocity profile in the river. The second approach, herein called the complex approach is using the hydraulic river modeling code MIKE 11. This model is using a complex process ADR (advective-dispersive-reactive) equation to calculate the chemical changes in the river water. The comparative analysis between both routing approaches reveals that the lumped approach is able to predict sufficiently accurate nutrient load at the catchment outlet. The complex approach has the advantage of giving a more accurate estimate of the nutrient load at the catchment outlet, resulting in a more precise modeling of the transport and transformation of the nutrient load in streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 0.5-degree grid-based assessment of the scarcity of global water resources including virtual water trading has been made. The three components of water availability considered for each grid were local runoff, routed flow from upstream and virtual water trading. Several assumptions were postulated to convert country-base estimations of virtual water trading to grid values. The results show that unequal spatial distribution of global water resources had been considerably neutralized by virtual water trading. A large proportion of people in the Middle-East, North-Africa and Sub-Sahara region are able to relieve their water stress through virtual water import. The paper also reports two hypothetical scenarios with extremes of natural flow availability based on the presence and absence of routed upstream flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present water policy debate is dominated by the 30 yr old mission to secure water supply and sanitation to all people. The water needed to produce a nutritionally acceptable diet for one person is however 70 times as large as the amount needed for domestic water supply. The food security dilemma is largest in arid climate regions, a situation constituting a formidable challenge. It is suggested that an additional 5 600 km3/yr of consumptive water use will be needed to produce an adequate amount of food by 2050 — i.e almost a doubling of today's consumptive use of 6800 km3/yr. Past misinterpretations and conceptual deficiencies show the importance of a shift in thinking. Combining the scale of the challenge and the time scale of the efforts to feed humanity and eradicate hunger leads to an impression of great urgency. This urgency strengthens the call for international research both for supporting agricultural upgrading, and for much better handling of issues of environmental sustainability. What stands out is the need of a new generation of water professionals, able to handle complexity and able to incorporate water implications of land use and of ecosystem health in integrated water resources management. It will for those reasons be essential and urgent to upgrade the educational system to producing this new generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politicians and policy-makers, as well as modellers, often nurses an expectation that model derived results is an objective source of information that can be used to support decisions. However, several prerequisites have to be dealt with in order to ensure that models can be used as legitimate and efficient tools in water resource management. Based on empirical material from recent studies on the use of models in stakeholder dialogues, mainly focusing on catchment nutrient transport, two central problems are identified: (a) Models are laden with choices and thus depend on assumptions and priorities of modellers. (b) There are several factors that influence ability and willingness of stakeholders (as information recovers) to criticize or accept results of the modelling exercise. Recognized factors likely to influence stakeholders' acceptance of model derived results include issues at stake, stakeholders' ability to criticize model derived information, and their trust in the institutions that have developed or applied the used models. Identified prerequisites for successful use of models in integrated water resource management include: consideration of user relevance, awareness of and preparedness to handle constraints linked to communication of modelbased results, transparency of used models and data and of involved uncertainties, mutual respect between experts and stakeholders and between involved stakeholder groups, a robust institutional network, and sufficient time for dialogues. Development and use of strategies for participatory modelling, based on a continuous dialogue between experts and stakeholders is recommended as a way to facilitate that the prerequisites for a successful use of models in water resource management are fulfilled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Multiple use systems' are systems that allow efficient and effective supply of water from different sources to communities for their domestic and for their productive purposes and that allow interaction with providers of water related services. Such systems are probably highly desirable from the perspective of using scare water efficiently and also from the perspectives of gender equity and improving livelihoods. It is therefore useful to carry out scientific research to validate this statement about a water-innovation. The mode of research must be ‘saction research'. The specific form and management of multiple use systems depends on local biophysical and socio-economic factors, as well as on local institutions and legislation. Eleven ‘cornerstones' need to be in place to realize a full multiple use system. Since a blue print cannot be made and many parties are involved, ‘learning alliances' are to be set up in specific geographic areas and at national level to identify how much of these cornerstones of multiple use systems are still lacking, and to work together to create or implement these. Guidelines for setting up Learning Alliances and for actually implementing systems of multiple water use are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water management is facing major challenges due to increasing uncertainties caused by climate and global change and by fast changing socio-economic boundary conditions. More attention has to be devoted to understanding and managing the transition from current management regimes to more adaptive regimes that take into account environmental, technological, economic, institutional and cultural characteristics of river basins. This implies a paradigm shift in water management from a prediction and control to a management as learning approach. The change towards adaptive management could be defined as "learning to manage by managing to learn". Such change aims at increasing the adaptive capacity of river basins at different scales. The paper identifies major challenges for research and practice how to understand a transition in water management regimes. A conceptual framework is introduced how to characterize water management regimes and the dynamics of transition processes. The European project NeWater project is presented as one approach where new scientific methods and practical tools are developed for the participatory assessment and implementation of adaptive water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water footprint shows the extent of water use in relation to consumption of people. The water footprint of a country is defined as the volume of water needed for the production of the goods and services consumed by the inhabitants of the country. The internal water footprint is the volume of water used from domestic water resources; the external water footprint is the volume of water used in other countries to produce goods and services imported and consumed by the inhabitants of the country. The study calculates the water footprint for each nation of the world for the period 1997-2001. The USA appears to have an average water footprint of 2480m3/cap/yr, while China has an average footprint of 700m3/cap/yr. The global average water footprint is 1240m3/cap/yr. The four major direct factors determining the water footprint of a country are: volume of consumption (related to the gross national income); consumption pattern (e.g. high versus low meat consumption); climate (growth conditions); and agricultural practice (water use efficiency). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]