The Global Water System Project

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The Global Water System Project

• Marcel Endejan
• GWSP International Project Office
• Bonn, Germany

Poznan, 24 Nov 2004
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Overview

• Global Water System Project
• Institutional Background
• Framing Questions Themes
• Implementation
• Linkages to BALTEX

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ESSP
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Dynamics of the GWS
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GWSP Central Tenet

• Human-induced changes to the global water
  system are now globally significant and are being
  modified without adequate understanding of how
  the system works

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The Global Water System
Working definition The global suite of
water-related human, physical, biological, and
biogeochemical components and their interactions.
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ESSP Projects
BALTEX
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GWSP Research Niches

• Focus on global environmental change
• Science driven but policy-relevant
• Global perspective, taking local- and watershed
  processes into account
• Broad temporal perspective(Past-present-future
  time domains)
• Interdisciplinary integrative
• Focus on fresh water

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Goals Vision

• Gain a new understanding about the global water
  system
• Refine societys view of water
• Create a vision of future possible states of the
  global water system

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GWSP Framing Document
The Framing Committee Joseph Alcamo (Chair),
Hartmut Grassl, Pavel Kabat, Felino Lansigan,
Richard Lawford, Dennis Lettenmaier, Christian
Leveque, Michel Meybeck, Robert Naiman, Claudia
Pahl-Wostl, Charles Vörösmarty Scoping Team
Carlo Jaeger, Dennis Lettenmaier,
Christian Leveque, Harry Lins, Michel Meybeck,
Madiodio Niasse, and Charles Vörösmarty
www.gwsp.org
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Overarching Question

• How are human actions changing the global
  water system and what are the environmental and
  socio-economic feedbacks arising from the
  anthropogenic changes in the global water system?

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Framing Questions (Themes)

• What are the magnitudes and key mechanisms of
  anthropogenic and environmental changes in the
  GWS?
• What are the main linkages and feedbacks within
  the Earth system, arising from changes in the
  GWS?
• How resilient and adaptable is the GWS to change,
  and what are sustainable management strategies?

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Mechanisms by which humans are affecting the GWS
reservoirs, withdrawal, transfers resulting
in stop-flow events, changes in nutrient and
sediment fluxes etc.
Glen Canyon Dam, USGS 1984
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Theme 1 Magnitudes and Mechanisms of Change

• Related activities
• 1.1 Water Governance the GWS
• 1.2 Land Cover Changes
• 1.3 Climate Change
• 1.4 Water Diversions
• 1.5 Nutrient and Sediment Transport

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Framing Questions (Themes)

• What are the magnitudes and key mechanisms of
  anthropogenic and environmental changes in the
  GWS?
• What are the main linkages and feedbacks within
  the Earth system, arising from changes in the
  GWS?
• How resilient and adaptable is the GWS to change,
  and what are sustainable management strategies?

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Theme 2Linkages and Feedbacks

• Related activities
• 2.1 Linkages at Different Spatial Scales in the
  Global Water System
• 2.2 Legacy of Human and Natural Interactions in
  the Global Water System

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Framing Questions (Themes)

• What are the magnitudes and key mechanisms of
  anthropogenic and environmental changes in the
  GWS?
• What are the main linkages and feedbacks within
  the Earth system, arising from changes in the
  GWS?
• How resilient and adaptable is the GWS to change,
  and what are sustainable management strategies?

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Theme 3Resilience and Adaptation

• Related activities
• 3.1 Water Requirements for Nature and Humans
• 3.2 The Nature of Adaptive Capacity of the GWS
• 3.3 Approaches to Enhance Adaptive Capacity
• 3.4 The Provision of Ecosystem Goods Services
  by the GWS

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Cross-cutting Research Activities
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Synthesis, Dialogue,Capacity Building, Education

• Goal reach a large audience
• Synthesise information
• Dialogue with stakeholders / policy makers
• Engage young scientist in international teams
• Education programme
• Co-operation with other research efforts

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Implementation
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Scientific Steering Committee

• Members of Executive Committee
• Prof. Dr. Joseph Alcamo (Chair)
• Prof. Dr. Dennis Lettenmaier
• Prof. Dr. Robert Naiman
• Prof. Dr. Claudia Pahl-Wostl
• Prof. Dr. Charles Vörösmarty (Chair)
• Full Scientific Steering Committee
• 15 scientistsrepresenting different
  regions/research fields
• First full SSC meeting in February 2005

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Implementation Phases

• Programme definition and initiation (2 years)
• Finalise research plan
• Launch short, medium, long term initiatives
• Programme implementation/product delivery (3)
• First short and medium term results
• Data synthesis and application of results (5)
• Synthesis, application and distribution of
  results
  

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GWSP GEWEX/BALTEX

• Coupled modelling of climate, land and
  hydrological processes
• Inventories of surface water storage
• Data and prediction of climate variability
• Identifying worldwide impacts of water management
• Regional climate modelling
• Global climate change and water availability
• Urbanisation and water resources

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Conclusion

• Global Water System Project
• Consolidate various efforts into a unified,
  dynamic research programme
• Broaden knowledge about the GWSchanges linkages
  feedbacks resilience and adaptive capacity
• Establish monitoring indicators
• New numerical models, GWSP database
• Synergy effects in GWSP-BALTEX co-operation

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Get In Contact

• Global Water System Project
• International Project Office
• Walter-Flex-Str. 3
• 53113 Bonn, Germany
• Phone [phone]
• Dr. Eric Craswell eric.craswell_at_uni-bonn.de
• Dr. Marcel Endejan marcel.endejan_at_uni-bonn.de
• Ms. Lara Wever lara.wever_at_uni-bonn.de

www.gwsp.org