Theme B
Coupling Human-driven and Natural Systems
This theme will provide a new platform for integrated water resources management that fully couples anthropogenic factors with natural systems models, including ecosystem constraints and economic gains or losses. This theme consists of three closely-integrated working projects that together provide a seamless modelling framework to achieve the following objectives:
- simulate watershed systems with existing water infrastructure under the current and alternative future hydro-climatic conditions and operational strategies for the 21st century,
- evaluate potential infrastructure and policy developments, and
- analyse trade-offs between objectives, such as economic development or ecosystem protection, under different hydro-climatic conditions.
Research questions asked under this theme:
- How can models of natural and human-driven components of the Earth system be integrated to represent their interactions and feedbacks, including human activities and values?
- How can we develop and unite socio-economic and hydro-ecologic performance models for integrated water resources management?
Click to explore each of the following working packages:
B1: Water Resource Management Modelling
Developing a water resources model to simulate different operational policies of existing and future water infrastructure.
B2: Integrating Aquatic Ecosystems
Developing a performance model for aquatic ecosystems based on hydro-ecologic metrics and environmental demands.
B3: Integrating Hydro-economic modelling
Developing an integrated hydro-economic model to assess the direct and indirect impacts of policy decisions based on socio-economic water valuation studies.