Page - 5 - in options, Volume winter 2020

News in brief Rainfall Snow Glacier Reservoir Transpiration Desalination Lake HouseholdsIndustry Soil GroundwaterAgriculture Livestock Interception Pumping Capillary rise Infiltration Surface runoff Interflow Baseflow Percolation Evaporation CITIZEN SCIENCE TO MONITOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TRACKING DISASTER AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE MAPPING HABITATS IIASA-led research has shown how citizen science could help track progress towards all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study analyzed the current and potential contribution of citizen science data to monitor the SDGs. Demonstrating the value of citizen science in the global data ecosystem is imperative in expediting progress on achieving the SDGs. Research of this nature is helping pave the way. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/SDGsmapping-20 Natural hazards and disasters are increasing. Flooding is particularly damaging – since 1998, over two billion people have been affected. Tracking progress of disaster and climate resilience is crucial in achieving informed disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. IIASA researchers have developed a flood resilience measurement framework, which contributes to this tracking and informs the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. pure.iiasa.ac.at/16758 Mapping habitats is essential in determining the distribution of global biodiversity. Through the integration of land and climate data, IIASA researchers have developed a map indicating critical species habitats. This map helps our understanding of vital biodiversity research and in turn, serves as a blueprint for protecting valuable wildlife areas. The habitat map is openly available and will be continually updated and improved. blog.iiasa.ac.at/Jung-20 Modeling water: quenching the future’s thirst A growing global population and continued economic development will require a substantial increase in water demand, especially in developing regions. Concurrently, climate change is already having global, regional, and local impacts on water availability. Ensuring the fluctuating supply can meet the continuously growing water demand without compromising the sensitive aquatic ecosystems from which it is derived, is a huge challenge that will require strategies and policies informed by science. To aid the accurate assessment of water supply and the demands of both people and the environment, IIASA researchers have developed a large-scale hydrological and water resources model — the Community Water Model. The model can simulate the movement, distribution, and management of water globally and regionally, evaluating availability both in terms of water demand and environmental needs. It includes an accounting of how future water demand will evolve in response to socioeconomic changes and how water availability will be influenced by climate change. The integrated modeling framework considers water demand from agriculture, domestic needs, energy, industry, and the environment. Because the modeling framework is general, it can also be adapted to address new interdisciplinary research questions; this means that it opens the door to many potential applications to explore connections between the nexus aspects of energy, land, and water. “The Community Water Model represents one of the new key elements of the IIASA Water Program to assess water supply, water demand, and environmental needs at the global and regional level. With this framework we can provide vital information to decision and policymakers,” says Peter Burek, the IIASA researcher leading the project. The Community Water Model continues to be developed, incorporating more features designed to enhance the simulation of water availability in agricultural, urban, and groundwater contexts. Further info: pure.iiasa.ac.at/16576 Peter Burek: burek@iiasa.ac.at By Greg Davies-Jones 5Optionswww.iiasa.ac.at Winter 2020