Conference: Water for a changing planet: Rethinking land use and water supply in the face of population growth and climate breakdown.

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

Fresh water is a important resource for humans and ecosystems alike. Changes in climate alongside population growth, inequities in water supply, and land cover changes have impacted both the amount and quality of fresh water. The lack of access to and availability of fresh water creates one of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21st Century. Scientist and local, regional, and national managers will need to work together even closer to share information to create the new tools and solutions that can address these water challenges. We focus on the knowledge coming from critical zone science, a field of diverse researchers that examine how water moves from the top of the canopy (e.g., trees, grass, crops) to the depths of groundwater. Information coming from this field shows us how land cover change, climate, and disturbance alters how water is divided up into two components, “green” and “blue” water. Meaning water that goes through plants or directly from the land surface back to the atmosphere, “green” water, compared to surface and groundwater, “blue” water, that is available to people. Through a series of surveys, information sessions, and virtual workshops, we aim to unite diverse groups of people to co-develop adaptive, actionable solutions. Our aim is to demonstrate that the convergence between basic science, industry, non-profit, and government entities is primed to accelerate solutions to water resources issues that directly benefit society in the coming years to decades. In doing so, we will use our workshops to build new partnerships and deepen existing relationships among resource managers, critical zone scientists, and non-profit organizations. We will bring together public, private, and civic-sector leaders from throughout the United States for collaborative problem-solving with the goal of identifying water resource solutions that are ready to be put into action within the next one to three years. Knowledge transfer will be multi-directional with short presentations from stakeholders across water resource sectors. Ultimately, these new partnerships and solutions can lead to improved economic, food, energy, and water security for the nation that will be synthesized and made publicly available. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.