Your search found 21 records
1 Leflaive, X.; Dominique, K.; Alaerts, G. J. (Eds.) 2022. Financing investment in water security: recent developments and perspectives. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. 381p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2019-0-03290-6]
Water security ; Financing ; Investment ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Water, sanitation and hygiene ; Water supply ; Water availability ; Equity ; Public finance ; Infrastructure ; Markets ; Political aspects ; Public-private partnerships ; Organizations ; River basin institutions ; Donors ; Funding ; Systemic action ; Strategies ; Climate change ; Floods ; Risk ; Wastewater treatment ; Sewage ; Water quality ; Environmental restoration ; Policies ; Projects ; Innovation ; Models ; Assets ; Case studies ; European Union / Africa / Asia / United States of America / China / Kenya
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G000 LEF, e-copy SF Record No: H051124)
(0.73 MB)
2 Shurtz, K. M.; Dicataldo, E.; Sowby, R. B.; Williams, G. P. 2022. Insights into efficient irrigation of urban landscapes: analysis using remote sensing, parcel data, water use, and tiered rates. Sustainability, 14(3):1427. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031427]
Irrigation efficiency ; Urban areas ; Landscape ; Water use ; Remote sensing ; Irrigation systems ; Irrigated land ; Water conservation ; Plant health ; Evapotranspiration ; Precipitation ; Geographical information systems ; Normalized difference vegetation index / United States of America / Utah
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051192)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1427/pdf?version=1643267602
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051192.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051192.pdf
(3.43 MB) (3.43 MB)
To understand how landscape irrigation can be better managed, we selected two urban irrigation systems in northern Utah, USA, and performed a statistical analysis of relationships among water use, irrigated area, plant health (based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and water rate structures across thousands of parcels. Our approach combined remote sensing with 4-band imagery and on-site measurements from water meters. We present five key findings that can lead to more efficient irrigation practices. First, tiered water rates result in less water use when compared to flat water rates for comparable plant health. Second, plant health does not strictly increase with water application but has an optimum point beyond which further watering is not beneficial. Third, many water users irrigate beyond this optimum point, suggesting that there is water conservation potential without loss of aesthetics. Fourth, irrigation is not the only contributor to plant health, and other factors need more attention in research and in water conservation programs. Fifth, smaller irrigated areas correlate with higher water application rates, an observation that may inform future land use decisions. These findings are especially pertinent in responding to the current drought in the western United States.
3 Garibay, V. M.; Gitau, M. W.; Kongo, V.; Kisekka, J.; Moriasi, D. 2022. Comparative evaluation of water resource data policy inventories towards the improvement of East African climate and water data infrastructure. Water Resources Management, 36(11):4019-4038. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-022-03231-z]
Water resources ; Databases ; Policies ; Comparative analysis ; Data mining ; Strategies ; Infrastructure ; Water quality ; Meteorological factors / East Africa / Kenya / United Republic of Tanzania / Uganda / Rwanda / Burundi / Ethiopia / South Africa / Canada / United States of America / Germany
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051364)
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11269-022-03231-z.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051364.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051364.pdf
(1.66 MB) (1.66 MB)
The recognized challenge of freely accessing climate and water data in East Africa poses a problem in undertaking relevant analytical studies and making informed water resources management decisions in the region. This study seeks to understand the defining characteristics of policies and distribution infrastructure, in the context of meteorological, water quantity, and water quality data, that determine whether or not a user will be able to freely and readily access existing data. An analysis was developed to quantify the information contained in legislation, official documents and websites, and similar textual resources from the study region and elsewhere to establish commonalities, potential trends, and patterns in the documentation behind data streams culminating successfully in a portal or database accessible by the public. A quantitative analysis was applied to discern overall patterns in what constitutes effective policy and to diagnose where there may be impediments in the path between data collection and its application. Generally, the foundational elements present in the documentation pertaining to most accessible data streams represented are: (1) known organization in charge of that data type; (2) known location where this data would be stored; (3) defined data collection format; and (4) commitment to a plan for making data available to potential users. Examination of overlap between elements absent in unsuccessful data streams and present in successful data streams suggests that those without a documented commitment to making data available online rarely result in a functioning, accessible portal and vice versa. Amongst other findings, this knowledge has the potential to contribute towards the development and refinement of policies so that more emphasis is placed on openness and access, leading to informed decision-making and management of water resources.
4 Bush, S. S.; Clayton, A. 2023. Facing change: gender and climate change attitudes worldwide. American Political Science Review, 117(2):591-608. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055422000752]
Climate change mitigation ; Gender ; Women ; Men ; Attitudes ; Economic development ; Psychological factors ; Political aspects ; Policies / Europe / United States of America / Peru
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051478)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/38688C0CA6DF889475FDB52C06DD7FF9/S0003055422000752a.pdf/facing-change-gender-and-climate-change-attitudes-worldwide.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051478.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051478.pdf
(0.78 MB) (799 KB)
Gender differences in concern about climate change are highly correlated with economic development: when countries are wealthier, a gap emerges whereby women are more likely than men to express concern about our changing climate. These differences stem from cross-national variation in men’s attitudes. Men, more than women, tend to be less concerned about climate change when countries are wealthier. This article develops a new theory about the perceived costs and benefits of climate mitigation policy to explain this pattern. At the country level, the perceived benefits of mitigation tend to decrease with economic development, whereas the perceived costs increase. At the individual level, the perceived costs of mitigation tend to increase with economic development for men more than for women. Evidence from existing surveys from every world region, an original 10-country survey in the Americas and Europe, and focus groups in Peru and the United States support the theory.
5 Womble, P.; Townsend, A.; Szeptycki, L. F. 2022. Decoupling environmental water markets from water law. Environmental Research Letters, 17(6):065007. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6d6d]
Water market ; Environmental flows ; Water rights ; Water governance ; Water allocation ; Water law ; Rivers ; Private sector ; Investment ; Policies / United States of America / Arizona / Colorado River Basin / New Mexico / Utah / Wyoming
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051507)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6d6d/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051507.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051507.pdf
(1.87 MB) (1.87 MB)
Environmental water markets have emerged as a tool for restoring flows in rivers across the world. Prior literature suggests that certain legal conditions are necessary for these markets to function. However, we find substantial market activity has occurred without these legal conditions through market and legal data collected in five core U.S. Colorado River basin states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) from 2014 to 2020. Ninety-five percent of the 446 water transactions sidestepped formal legal processes to transfer water rights to the environment. We also find that government regulatory and conservation programs, not private-sector investment, have driven most environmental water market activity. Government spending is the dominant funding source, with 90% of the $53 million spent coming from governments and 68% from the U.S. federal government alone. Finally, our analysis finds that current market activity would be insufficient to stave off future curtailment of critical water users under the Colorado River Compact and that $86–89 million annually in new investment is required to do so. In a basin experiencing a historic megadrought, our analysis suggests prioritizing such new investments over legal reform. Global implications are that such flow restoration is possible where legal regimes for environmental water markets do not already exist.
6 Koebele, E. A.; Singletary, L.; Hockaday, S. E.; Ormerod, K. J. 2022. A role for water markets in enhancing water security in the western United States?: lessons from the Walker River Basin. Water Policy, 24(11):1757-1771. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2022.071]
Water security ; Water markets ; River basins ; Water allocation ; Water scarcity ; Water resources ; Water rights ; Water supply ; Water management ; Institutions / United States of America / Nevada / Walker River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051528)
https://iwaponline.com/wp/article-pdf/24/11/1757/1138928/024111757.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051528.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051528.pdf
(0.50 MB) (512 KB)
In many semi-arid, snow-fed river systems, climate change is shifting the timing and quantity of streamflow; at the same time, changing water use priorities are introducing additional demands on water supplies. These dynamics challenge water security across the globe. Water markets – economic instruments used to reallocate water via voluntary trade – may be used to adapt to these changes, though their implementation remains limited. To understand how water markets may enhance water security in the western United States, we assess diverse actors’ perceptions of water allocation institutions broadly, as well as their preferences for different water market designs, in the empirical context of the Walker River Basin. This 4,200-square mile watershed, located on the California-Nevada border, exemplifies many key regional water management challenges. Through an analysis of 30 in-depth interviews, we find that actors across sectors desire changes to traditional water allocation institutions, preferably at the local level, and view markets as an acceptable tool for reallocation. Despite identified legal and social challenges, markets that facilitate temporary water trading are generally preferred. While limited to the context of a single basin, these findings provide lessons for designing water markets to enhance water security in basins regionally and beyond.
7 Mooney, D. F.; Hoag, D. L. K.; Rasul, Z. I.; Gao, S. 2022. More risk, more money: when are payments for water savings from limited irrigation profitable for farmers? Water Resources and Economics, 40:100212. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wre.2022.100212]
Water conservation ; Payment ; Deficit irrigation ; Water sharing ; Irrigation scheduling ; Sprinkler irrigation ; Subsurface irrigation ; Risk management ; Stochastic processes ; Soil moisture ; Soil water ; Farmers / United States of America / Colorado
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051529)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212428422000196/pdfft?md5=92714af7c6d18767e576325347ac6603&pid=1-s2.0-S2212428422000196-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051529.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051529.pdf
(1.45 MB) (1.45 MB)
As farmers in semiarid climates seek new ways of adding value to their operations, those with irrigation water rights are increasingly receptive to payments, or credits, for water sharing. Yet, past research on the economic feasibility of limited irrigation strategies for consumptive use (CU) savings seldom considers production risk. Using stochastic dominance, we compare the effect of three limited irrigation practices—deficit irrigation, root zone drying, and early crop maturity—on the returns to corn production for sprinkler and subsurface technology. Field-level simulations show that the practices reduce returns and increase risk, but credits for CU savings could make them economically viable for farmers. Larger credits (more money) incentivize limited irrigation at greater levels (less yield and more risk), but fully compensating farmers for risk-bearing will be costly. With sprinkler technology, root zone drying becomes risk-efficient at lower credit values than deficit irrigation. Deficit irrigation along with root zone drying become risk-efficient at the lowest credit values for subsurface technology. Thus, risk aversion could explain why some farmers choose not to share water even when credits are large enough, on average, to compensate for differences in expected returns. Improved knowledge about the profitability and risk of limited irrigation practices can increase the joint sustainability of irrigated agriculture and other societal water uses.
8 Kolarik, N. K.; Roopsind, A.; Pickens, A.; Brandt, J. S. 2023. A satellite-based monitoring system for quantifying surface water and mesic vegetation dynamics in a semi-arid region. Ecological Indicators, 147:109965. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.109965]
Surface water ; Water resources ; Satellites ; Remote sensing ; Monitoring systems ; Vegetation ; Semiarid zones ; Restoration ; Data fusion ; Land use ; Water availability ; Landscape ; Riparian zones / United States of America
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051700)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23001073/pdfft?md5=6875ffa9aa8c0ae7220a3d5d089883ef&pid=1-s2.0-S1470160X23001073-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051700.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051700.pdf
(15.70 MB) (15.7 MB)
Semi-arid and arid systems cover one third of the earth’s land surface, and are becoming increasingly drier, but existing datasets do not capture all of the types of water resources that sustain these systems. In semi-arid environments, small surface water bodies and areas of mesic vegetation (wetlands, wet meadows, riparian zones) function as critical water resources. However, the most commonly-used maps of water resources are derived from the Landsat time series or single date aerial photographs, and are too coarse either spatially or temporally to effectively monitor water resource dynamics. In this study, we produced a Sentinel Fusion (SF) water resources product for a semi-arid mountainous region of the western United States, which includes monthly maps of both a) surface water and b) mesic vegetation at 10 m spatial resolution using freely available Earth observation data on an open access platform. We applied random forest classifiers to optical data from the Sentinel-2 time series, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the Sentinel-1 time series, and topographic variables. We compared our SF product with three commonly used and publicly available datasets in the western U.S. We found that our surface water class contained fewer omission errors than a leading global surface water product in (94 % producer’s accuracy (PA) vs 84 %) and comparable user’s accuracy (UA) (91 % vs 97 %) with commission errors occurring largely in mixed water pixels. Our mesic vegetation class had up to 43 % higher PAs compared to the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) estimates and up to 78 % higher UAs over the Sage Grouse Initiative mesic resources maps during the most critical part of the water year. We found that while inclusion of SAR data from the C-band Sentinel-1 sensor consistently improved estimates of water resources in each of the last four months of the 2021 water year when compared to optical-only + topographic variables, only in September did those improvements lie outside of the 95 % confidence interval. With nine times finer spatial resolution and more frequent image collection, our SF maps characterize intra-annual dynamics of smaller water bodies (<30 m wide) and mesic vegetation integral to ecosystem functioning in semi-arid systems compared to leading Landsat-derived products. Further, our workflow is easily reproducible using freely available data on an open access platform, and can be adopted to help guide land use decisions related to water resources by farmers, ranchers, and conservationists in semi-arid environments.
9 Williams, P.; Kliskey, A. A.; Cronan, D.; Trammell, E. J.; de Haro-Martí, M. E.; Wilson, J. 2023. Constructing futures, enhancing solutions: stakeholder-driven scenario development and system modeling for climate-change challenges. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11:1055547. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1055547]
Climate change ; Stakeholders ; Uncertainty ; Energy ; Water quality ; Farmland ; Aquifers ; Models / United States of America / Idaho / Magic Valley / Twin Falls / Snake River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051778)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1055547/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051778.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051778.pdf
(1.74 MB) (1.74 MB)
Finding effective and practical solutions to climate change challenges in food-energy-water systems requires the integration of experts in local/regional social and biophysical systems, and these are commonly local community members. In the Magic Valley, Idaho we investigated the tensions between water used for energy and to irrigate cropland for food production, as well as, strategies for protecting water quantity and quality. Incorporating stakeholders with long-standing expertise allows the development of solutions to these challenges that are locally and regionally practical and consistent with the values of the social system into which they are incorporated. We describe a stakeholder-driven process used in a case study in the Magic Valley that incorporated local experts to develop plausible future scenarios, identify drivers of change, vet impact and hydrological modeling and map areas of change. The process described allowed stakeholders to envision alternative futures in their region, leading to development of enhanced context and place-based solutions and an anticipated time line for adoption of those solutions. The solutions developed by the stakeholders have been applied across many geographic areas. The described process can also be applied across a broad range of geographic levels. Most importantly, stakeholders should be involved in anticipating solutions and solution timing to the differing challenges posed by each scenario.
10 Kurki-Fox, J. J.; Doll, B. A.; Monteleone, B.; West, K.; Putnam, G.; Kelleher, L.; Krause, S.; Schneidewind, U. 2023. Microplastic distribution and characteristics across a large river basin: insights from the Neuse River in North Carolina, USA. Science of The Total Environment, 878:162940. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162940]
Microplastics ; Pollution ; River basins ; Polyethylene ; Stream flow ; Urban development ; Sediment ; Watersheds ; Sampling ; Aquatic ecosystems ; Land cover ; Hydrology ; Degradation / United States of America / North Carolina / Neuse River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051907)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723015565/pdfft?md5=05478ad288b7e2fcc6fc1ed8c63ebf7f&pid=1-s2.0-S0048969723015565-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051907.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051907.pdf
(3.71 MB) (3.71 MB)
While microplastics (MP) have been found in aquatic ecosystems around the world, the understanding of drivers and controls of their occurrence and distribution have yet to be determined. In particular, their fate and transport in river catchments and networks are still poorly understood. We identified MP concentrations in water and streambed sediment at fifteen locations across the Neuse River Basin in North Carolina, USA. Water samples were collected with two different mesh sizes, a trawl net (>335 µm) and a 64 µm sieve used to filter bailing water samples. MPs >335 µm were found in all the water samples with concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 221 particles per m3 (p m-3) with a median of 0.44 p m-3. The highest concentrations were observed in urban streams and there was a significant correlation between streamflow and MP concentration in the most urbanized locations. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated that for MPs >335 µm the three most common polymer types were polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. There were substantially more MP particles observed when samples were analyzed using a smaller mesh size (>64 µm), with concentrations ranging from 20 to 130 p m-3 and the most common polymer type being polyethylene terephthalate as identified by Raman spectroscopy. The ratio of MP concentrations (64 µm to 335 µm) ranged from 35 to 375, indicating the 335 µm mesh substantially underestimates MPs relative to the 64 µm mesh. MPs were detected in 14/15 sediment samples. Sediment and water column concentrations were not correlated. We estimate MP (>64 µm) loading from the Neuse River watershed to be 230 billion particles per year. The findings of this study help to better understand how MPs are spatially distributed and transported through a river basin and how MP concentrations are impacted by land cover, hydrology, and sampling method.
11 Bokhari, H. H.; Najafi, E.; Dawidowicz, J.; Wuchen, L.; Maxfield, N.; Vorosmarty, C. J.; Fekete, B. M.; Corsi, F.; Sanyal, S.; Lin, T.- S.; Miara, A.; Tuler, S. P. 2023. Simulating basin-scale linkages of the food-energy-water nexus with reduced complexity modeling. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11:1077181. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1077181]
Hydrology ; Climate change ; Extreme weather events ; Drought ; Precipitation ; Evapotranspiration ; Nexus approaches ; Models ; Sewage treatment ; Infrastructure ; Nitrogen ; Stakeholders ; Rivers ; Discharges ; Water reservoirs ; Downstream ; Energy generation ; Land cover / United States of America / Delaware River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051932)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1077181/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051932.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051932.pdf
(3.18 MB) (3.18 MB)
12 Kelly, T. D.; Foster, T.; Schultz, D. M. 2023. Assessing the value of adapting irrigation strategies within the season. Agricultural Water Management, 275:107986. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107986]
Irrigation scheduling ; Optimization methods ; Agricultural water use ; Uncertainty ; Water scarcity ; Weather ; Irrigation management ; Models ; Farmers ; Soil moisture ; Water use ; Water productivity ; Rain ; Case studies / United States of America / Nebraska
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051992)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377422005339/pdfft?md5=2aa76d300211335af481f7f44bdc18ae&pid=1-s2.0-S0378377422005339-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051992.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051992.pdf
(5.99 MB) (5.99 MB)
Optimization of irrigation scheduling is a widely proposed solution to enhance agricultural water productivity and mitigate water scarcity. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge about how to most effectively optimize and adapt irrigation decisions under weather and climate uncertainty, or about how the benefits of adaptive irrigation scheduling compare to fixed heuristics commonly used by farmers. In this article, we assess the added value of in-season adaptation of irrigation strategies in comparison to a fixed irrigation strategy that maximizes average profits over a range of plausible weather outcomes, but is not adjusted year-to-year. To perform this assessment, the AquaCrop-OSPy crop-water model is used to simulate a case study of irrigated maize production in a water scarce region in the central United States. Irrigation strategies are defined that maximize mean seasonal profit over a range of historical years. This baseline profit is then compared to the case of adaptive strategies, where the irrigation strategy is re-optimized at multiple stages within each season. Our analysis finds that fixed irrigation heuristics on average achieve over 90 % of potential profits attained with perfect seasonal foresight. In-season adaptation marginally increased agricultural profitability, with greater benefits found when re-optimization occurs more frequently or is accompanied by reliable forecasts of weather for the week ahead. However, the overall magnitude of these additional benefits was small (<5 % further increase in average profits), highlighting that fixed irrigation scheduling rules can be near-optimal when making realistic assumptions about farmers’ potential knowledge of future weather. Since fixed irrigation strategies are easier to design, communicate and implement than data-driven adaptive management strategies, we suggest that implementing these fixed strategies be prioritized over the development of more complex adaptive strategies.
13 Agonafir, C.; Lakhankar, T.; Khanbilvardi, R.; Krakauer, N.; Radell, D.; Devineni, N. 2023. A review of recent advances in urban flood research. Water Security, 19:100141. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2023.100141]
Flooding ; Research ; Urban areas ; Urbanization ; Climate change ; Hydraulic models ; Machine learning ; Stormwater runoff ; Infrastructure ; Precipitation ; Drainage systems ; Remote sensing ; Rainfall ; Sea level / United States of America / New York
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052063)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468312423000093/pdfft?md5=7feb0c59caa8f0c9e3c864f127e19aa9&pid=1-s2.0-S2468312423000093-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052063.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052063.pdf
(1.03 MB) (1.03 MB)
Due to a changing climate and increased urbanization, an escalation of urban flooding occurrences and its aftereffects are ever more dire. Notably, the frequency of extreme storms is expected to increase, and as built environments impede the absorption of water, the threat of loss of human life and property damages exceeding billions of dollars are heightened. Hence, agencies and organizations are implementing novel modeling methods to combat the consequences. This review details the concepts, impacts, and causes of urban flooding, along with the associated modeling endeavors. Moreover, this review describes contemporary directions towards urban flood resolutions, including the more recent hydraulic-hydrologic models that use modern computing architecture and the trending applications of artificial intelligence/machine learning techniques and crowdsourced data. Ultimately, a reference of utility is provided, as scientists and engineers are given an outline of the recent advances in urban flooding research.
14 Kaufman, S.; Boxshall, A. 2023. Eleven enablers of science thought leadership to facilitate knowledge exchange in environmental regulation. Environmental Science and Policy, 147:336-348. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.06.018]
Environmental sciences ; Environmental protection ; Regulations ; Knowledge sharing ; Leadership ; Decision making ; Uncertainty ; Sustainable development ; Policy making ; Communities / Australia / United States of America / Victoria / Florida
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052067)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901123001764/pdfft?md5=3c750be1dc6f50ee588546da64206131&pid=1-s2.0-S1462901123001764-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052067.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052067.pdf
(3.07 MB) (3.07 MB)
Evidence informed environmental policy and decision-making remains aspirational. Knowledge exchange literature indicates neccessary supportive elements and activities but acknowledges a gap in understanding of interpersonal and relational aspects. Inquiry is particularly lacking into the roles and potential of internal expert advice, especially in the micro-level instrumental decisions regulators make daily. We identify these characteristics as ‘science thought leadership’ (STL) and explore their role in experiences of successful decision support in environmental regulation. Forty-four cases in Victoria, Australia, and Florida, USA, were identified and analysed via appreciative inquiry methods. The cases prioritized in this process highlight environmental regulatory decisions, administrative in nature yet part of the policy cycle, as important sites of STL. STL is a set of characteristics and capabilities underpinning effective knowledge exchange, leading to better evidence-informed decisions. It is a series of 11 inter-related personal, professional and organisational enablers pivotal in cases when problem definition is contested, and legitimacy must be demonstrated. Integration, expertise and decisiveness in uncertainty is present when organisations and management value science and experts, and are externally accountable to justify decisions. Based on the findings, we present a conceptual model of STL and a checklist for its presence to assist both government and universities to recognize, work with and support STLs as crucial facilitators of evidence informed decision making.
15 Drechsel, Pay; Marjani Zadeh, S.; Salcedo, F. P. (Eds.) 2023. Water quality in agriculture: risks and risk mitigation. Rome, Italy: FAO; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 192p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.4060/cc7340en]
Water quality ; Agricultural water use ; Risk reduction ; Mitigation ; Water pollution ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Microbiological risk assessment ; Pathogens ; Monitoring ; Water reuse ; Standards ; Regulations ; Good agricultural practices ; Irrigated farming ; Irrigation water ; Crop production ; Salinity ; Contaminants ; Chemical contamination ; Heavy metals ; Parameters ; Risk management ; Risk analysis ; Human health ; Health hazards ; Wastewater treatment ; Recycling ; Aquaculture ; Livestock ; Ecology ; River basins ; Citizen science ; Farmers ; Environmental factors ; Cultural factors ; Case studies / Ghana / Bangladesh / Spain / United States of America / Australia / Tunisia / Murcia / California / Kumasi / Mirzapur / Ouardanine
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052153)
(8.61 MB)
This publication, Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, emphasizes technical solutions and good agricultural practices, including risk mitigation measures suitable for the contexts of differently resourced institutions working in rural as well as urban and peri-urban settings in low- and middle-income countries. With a focus on sustainability of the overall land use system, the guidelines also cover possible downstream impacts of farm-level decisions. As each country has a range of site-specific conditions related to climate, soil and water quality, crop type and variety, as well as management options, subnational adjustments to the presented guidelines are recommended. Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, is intended for use by national and subnational governmental authorities, farm and project managers, extension officers, consultants and engineers to evaluate water quality data, and identify potential problems and solutions related to water quality. The presented guidelines will also be of value to the scientific research community and university students.
16 Koushki, R.; Warren, J.; Krzmarzick, M. J. 2023. Carbon footprint of agricultural groundwater pumping with energy demand and supply management analysis. Irrigation Science, 10p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-023-00885-4]
Carbon footprint ; Groundwater table ; Pumping ; Energy demand ; Irrigation water ; Agriculture ; Greenhouse gas emissions ; Electricity generation ; Energy consumption ; Solar energy ; Wind power ; Natural gas ; Environmental impact / United States of America / Oklahoma / Rush Springs Aquifer / Texas / Ogallala Aquifer
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052293)
(0.68 MB)
Irrigation water is required for increased crop yield and production to satisfy global food demand. However, irrigation also has negative impacts, including the production of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from groundwater pumping. To lessen this environmental problem, management methods that minimize agricultural GHG emissions from groundwater pumping should be identified. This work aims to compare measures that decrease agricultural groundwater withdrawal GHG emissions. A comparison among different energy supply and demand management choices for groundwater pumping was made to identify the most effective measure. Results indicated that the best agricultural groundwater pumping energy management practices are affected by the type of pump (e.g., electric or natural gas operated) and for electric pumps, the electric grid energy mix (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil, wind, solar). Due to their higher operational pump efficiency (OPE), electric pumps consume less energy than natural gas pumps to extract an equal volume of groundwater under similar conditions. Nevertheless, natural gas pumps produce less GHG emissions than electric pumps using the US Central and Southern Plains electricity mix. Hence, groundwater pumping energy demand management through improving the OPE of natural gas pumps will save more GHG emissions (7600 kg CO2-eq year-1) than switching to electric pumps using the electricity mix applied to this study (2800 kg CO2-eq year-1). Additionally, switching to cleaner energy sources (wind and solar) can save significantly higher amounts of carbon than just improving OPE. This analysis can guide policymakers and individuals to assist in meeting global GHG emission reduction goals and targets while satisfying increasing food demand.
17 Ramamurthy, R.; Bleser, J.; Konradsen, F.; Kibret, S.; Opperman, J.; You, L.; Sloff, K.; McCartney, Matthew; Fevre, E. M.; Boelee, E. 2023. Human health impacts of dams and reservoirs: neglected issues in a One Health perspective. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management, 26(2):96-112. [doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/aehm.026.02.096]
Dams ; Reservoirs ; Human health ; One Health approach ; Irrigation ; Hydropower ; Environmental factors ; Diseases ; Ecosystems ; Impact assessment ; Energy ; Food production ; Livelihoods ; Communities ; Inclusion / United States of America / Sudan / Nepal / Pakistan / Glen Canyon Dam / Merowe Dam / Marsyangdi Dam / Dasu Dam
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052403)
(0.40 MB)
Dams have often been constructed for hydropower, water storage and to support socio-economic development, particularly in areas of water stress. In many places, the water stored in human-made reservoirs is essential to meet the development objectives of water supply, agriculture, industry, energy generation and other sectors. However, in the absence of adequate foresight and planning, many past dams have had considerable negative impacts on ecosystems and the livelihoods of affected communities, resulting in conflicts and health hazards. While enhanced human health and well-being could be considered as the ultimate outcome of development programs, the public health impact of dams remains an issue that is often neglected by policy makers and investors. National policies and international guidelines, such as those of the World Commission on Dams, have been used to improve planning and impact assessment of dams. Here, we provide an analysis of four large dams, across three continents, and show that they had limited consistency with World Commission on Dams principles and guidelines. Moreover, health aspects were largely neglected during planning, construction and operation of these dams, but seriously undermine their intended benefits. This perspective paper discusses impacts of dams on energy and food, ecosystem health, inclusion, and ultimately human health and wellbeing. We argue that a One Health perspective, based on these four categories, can support the systematic consideration of environmental, animal, and human health determinants. A dedicated One Health approach to dams and reservoirs remains to be developed but could potentially improve how dams, both existing and future, support more inclusive development.
18 Parent, J. R.; Gold, A. J.; Vogler, E.; Lowder, K. A. 2024. Guiding decisions on the future of dams: a GIS database characterizing ecological and social considerations of dam decisions. Journal of Environmental Management, 351:119683. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119683]
Dams ; Geographical information systems ; Social values ; Decision making ; Watersheds ; Local communities ; Stakeholders ; Land cover ; Environmental protection / United States of America / New England / Rhode Island
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052520)
(3.47 MB)
In the United States and elsewhere, there are a growing number of dams which have exceeded their design life and will need to be repaired or removed in the coming decades. Most of these dams no longer serve their original purpose and removal can provide ecological benefits and eliminate future maintenance costs and hazards. However, many decision-makers have been ill-prepared by community resistance to proposals to remove dams. Given the number of dam removal initiatives that have failed or been delayed due to community resistance, both ecological and social attributes of dams need to be better mapped and conveyed in understandable ways. The goal of this study was to support future decisions regarding dams by 1) developing a set of metrics to assess the social and ecological dimensions of dams, and 2) using these metrics to develop a GIS database, for the 1000+ dams in the Narragansett Bay/Rhode Island area of southern New England. The database characterizes the ecological benefits of dam removal or modification, in terms of fish passage, and the social dimensions that may need to be considered when engaging a community in discussions about the future of a dam. Our emphasis was on small-head dams (i.e. <5 m tall) which comprise most dams in the study area. We created social value metrics that used GIS data to assess dams and their impoundments for potential benefits to waterfront properties, history, sense-of-place, and recreation. We modeled our ecological metrics and ranking system after the Nature Conservancy's Northeast Aquatic Connectivity study which considered factors relating to river connectivity and watershed quality. We evaluated our social and ecological metrics using case studies of dams in the study area that had been previously removed or modified. We assumed that both sets of dams were ecologically important, but the modified dams had higher social value that prohibited their removal. Dams that had been removed or modified were both ranked as high priority in terms of value for fish passage, particularly for diadromous fish. Dams that were modified to include fish passage had substantially larger impoundments, more waterfront properties, and more features associated with recreational or cultural value (e.g. boating opportunity, visibility, etc.). Our social metrics were consistent with expectations based on the limited case studies (7 removals, 19 modifications) available in the study area. We made the dam assessment metrics readily accessible to stakeholders through an interactive ArcGIS Online web map.
19 Yin, Z.; Saadati, Y.; Hu, B.; Leon, A. S.; Amini, M. H.; McDaniel, D. 2024. Fast high-fidelity flood inundation map generation by super-resolution techniques. Journal of Hydroinformatics, 26(1):319-336. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/hydro.2024.228]
Flooding ; Flood forecasting ; Public health ; Health hazards ; Neural networks ; Models ; Machine learning / United States of America / Miami River / Florida
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052612)
https://iwaponline.com/jh/article-pdf/26/1/319/1360891/jh0260319.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052612.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052612.pdf
(1.32 MB) (1.32 MB)
Flooding is one of the most frequent natural hazards and causes more economic loss than all the other natural hazards. Fast and accurate flood prediction has significance in preserving lives, minimizing economic damage, and reducing public health risks. However, current methods cannot achieve speed and accuracy simultaneously. Numerical methods can provide high-fidelity results, but they are time-consuming, particularly when pursuing high accuracy. Conversely, neural networks can provide results in a matter of seconds, but they have shown low accuracy in flood map generation by all existing methods. This work combines the strengths of numerical methods and neural networks and builds a framework that can quickly and accurately model the high-fidelity flood inundation map with detailed water depth information. In this paper, we employ the U-Net and generative adversarial network (GAN) models to recover the lost physics and information from ultra-fast, low-resolution numerical simulations, ultimately presenting high-resolution, high-fidelity flood maps as the end results. In this study, both the U-Net and GAN models have proven their ability to reduce the computation time for generating high-fidelity results, reducing it from 7–8 h down to 1 min. Furthermore, the accuracy of both models is notably high.
20 Obringer, R.; Nateghi, R.; Knee, J.; Madani, K.; Kumar, R. 2024. Urban water and electricity demand data for understanding climate change impacts on the water-energy nexus. Scientific Data, 11:108. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-02930-z]
Climate change ; Electricity ; Nexus approaches ; Water use ; Water resources ; Water demand ; Energy ; Precipitation ; Towns / United States of America
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052628)
(1.92 MB) (1.92 MB)
As the climate crisis intensifies, it is becoming increasingly important to conduct research aimed at fully understanding the climate change impacts on various infrastructure systems. In particular, the water-electricity demand nexus is a growing area of focus. However, research on the water-electricity demand nexus requires the use of demand data, which can be difficult to obtain, especially across large spatial extents. Here, we present a dataset containing over a decade (2007–2018) of monthly water and electricity consumption data for 46 major US cities (2018 population >250,000). Additionally, we include pre-processed climate data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) to supplement studies on the relationship between the water-electricity demand nexus and the local climate. This data can be used for a number of studies that require water and/or electricity demand data across long time frames and large spatial extents. The data can also be used to evaluate the possible impacts of climate change on the water-electricity demand nexus by leveraging the relationship between the observed values.
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