Describing human-water interactions is one of the grand challenges in Earth system modelling. Despite previous initiatives (GEWEX 2012), limited progress was made in this direction.

The main objective of our project is to reduce this gap, by enhancing the Community Earth System Model to support all major water use sectors, including domestic, livestock, thermoelectric, manufacturing and mining.

By accounting for human water usage patterns in an Earth system model, it will be possible to improve our current understanding of the interplay between water demand and supply in a changing climate. Some possible applications may be:    

    • Identify regions experiencing water scarcity and explicitly assess to which extent water resources limitation are hindering socio-economic development through unmet demand across sectors.

    • Explore future scenarios of climate change and the associated risks for regional and global water security.

    • Analyze instances of sectoral competition for limited water resources and associated socio-economic stress.

    • Understand how long term water management strategies may improve resilience against hydrological droughts and hot extremes.