Integrated Hydrospheric Monitoring System

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Integrated Hydrospheric Monitoring System
Broad Spectrum of Science and Science Applications

• Studies of Variability/Change
• Water, Carbon, Biogeochemical Cycle Studies
• Human Signature on Water Cycle
• Global Water Budget Closure
• Monitoring Water Resource Condition
• Flood/Drought Monitoring
• Habitat Mapping and Assessment
• Pollution/Waste Processing
• Navigation

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Use of Distributed Runoff Fields Generated from
Observed Discharge to Assess Bias in Precipitation
Precipitation estimates from the Global
Precipitation Climatology Project can be assessed
using an integrated system of observed and
modeled runoff estimates (Fekete, Vorosmarty,
Grabs. WMO Report 22). Comparisons highlight
spatial patterns of potential bias in
precipitation estimates and therefore water
budget closure. An integrated ground-based
monitoring system for discharge and co-incident
runoff fields could be of substantial value to
the integrity of GPM precipitation retrievals.
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Pandemic Water Engineering Challenges Systematic
Hydrologic Cycle Monitoring

• Humans are Key Agents of Direct Hydrological
  Change
• Pandemic Distortion of Hydrographs
• Fragmentary Hydrographic Information Invokdes
  Need for Far More Systematic Hydrographic
  Information

Vorosmarty et al. 1997, Vorosmarty 2002a
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HISTORY OF OUR Ground Truth INFORMATION BASE
- WMO Global Runoff Data Center Archives
Vörösmarty 2002a Vörösmarty 2002a
Best global coverage 20-25 years ago

• Data Bank Closure
• -- Commercialization of data
• -- Legislative challenges/IP rights
• Network loss
• Delays in data reduction/reporting
• Worst in developing world

Additional records certainly exist (e.g.
national collections) --but currently
unconsolidated often in difficult-to-use,
non-digital formats dedicated global archive
is in decline
Vörösmarty 2002b
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Inventory Potential Retrievals from Satellite
Orbital Analysis
Hydraulic Modeling
n1200 USGS Station Records
Form QYWS
Bjerklie et al. 2003
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Budget Closure Analysis -Closure difficult
across many regions -Land/satellite-based PPT
fields in error -Requires observational support
from operational hydrographic sources -Land or
space-based information essential
Fekete et al. 2003
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Drought Low Flow Also Is A Key Issue
_______________
Population Above and Below Water Stress
(demandsupply) Threshold During Drought --
30-year duration statistics
Vörösmarty et al. 2003
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Water Stress Changes to 2025

• 80 of future stress from
• population
• development,
• not climate change!
• Future distortions of the
• water cycle are inevitable
• High resolution operational
• mapping of water stress
• important to food, health,
• international security

Vörösmarty et al. 2000
UNH
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• Seasonal Total Nitrogen Flux Land Mass-to-Coasts
  
• Level determined by land use, natural and
  anthropogenic N loads,
• population centers, lakes/wetlands/reservoirs
• Dynamics driven by runoff and discharge

Green, Vorosmarty, Meybeck, Galloway, Peterson
2003. Biogeochemistry
UNH
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References
Fekete, B.M., C.J. Vörösmarty, and W. Grabs.
2003. Global freshwater runoff and discharge to
the worlds oceans. Global Biogeochemical
Cycles. In press.  Green, P., C. J. Vörösmarty,
M. Meybeck, J. Galloway, and B.J. Peterson. 2003.
Pre-industrial and contemporary fluxes of
nitrogen throughrRivers A global assessment
based on typology. Biogeochemistry, (in review).
 Vörösmarty, C.J. K. Sharma, B. Fekete, A.H.
Copeland, J. Holden, J. Marble, and J.A. Lough.
1997. The storage and aging of continental runoff
in large reservoir systems of the world. Ambio
26 210-19.  Vörösmarty, C.J., P. Green, J.
Salisbury, and R. Lammers. 2000. Global water
resources Vulnerability from climate change and
population growth. Science vol. 289 pp.
284-288. Vörösmarty, C.J. 2002a. Global
change, the water cycle, and our search for Mauna
Loa. Hydrological Processes, vol 16 pp.
1335-1339. Vörösmarty, C.J. 2002b. Global
water assessment and potential contributions from
Earth Systems science. Aquatic Sciences, vol. 64
pp. 328-51. Vorosmarty et al. 2003. Geospatial
indicators of emerging water stress An
application to Africa. Ambio (in review).