Topic
Water scarcity
About: Water scarcity is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 11579 publications have been published within this topic receiving 228756 citations. The topic is also known as: water shortage.
Papers published on a yearly basis
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Utrecht University1, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis2, George Mason University3, Jet Propulsion Laboratory4, National Institute for Environmental Studies5, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign6, South University of Science and Technology of China7, Goethe University Frankfurt8, United Nations University9, University of Tokyo10, Michigan State University11, Lehigh University12, Australian National University13, Delft University of Technology14, Princeton University15, Wageningen University and Research Centre16, City University of New York17, City College of New York18, University of Saskatchewan19
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a synthesis of progress in the development and application of human impact modelling in hydrological models and highlight a number of key challenges and discuss possible improvements in order to better represent the human-water interface.
Abstract: Over recent decades, the global population has been rapidly increasing and human activities have altered terrestrial water fluxes to an unprecedented extent. The phenomenal growth of the human footprint has significantly modified hydrological processes in various ways (e.g. irrigation, artificial dams, and water diversion) and at various scales (from a watershed to the globe). During the early 1990s, awareness of the potential for increased water scarcity led to the first detailed global water resource assessments. Shortly thereafter, in order to analyse the human perturbation on terrestrial water resources, the first generation of largescale hydrological models (LHMs) was produced. However, at this early stage few models considered the interaction between terrestrial water fluxes and human activities, including water use and reservoir regulation, and even fewer models distinguished water use from surface water and groundwater resources. Since the early 2000s, a growing number of LHMs have incorporated human impacts on the hydrological cycle, yet the representation of human activities in hydrological models remains challenging. In this paper we provide a synthesis of progress in the development and application of human impact modelling in LHMs. We highlight a number of key challenges and discuss possible improvements in order to better represent the human-water interface in hydrological models.
168 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, three potential water transfer routes are discussed in detail, emphasizing the different water regimens of the water export and water import regions, political and institutional implications, and environmental protection.
Abstract: South-to-north water transfer schemes are considered a strategic and ambitious approach to resolving water shortage problems in the north of China. This paper discusses the proposed south-to-north water transfer schemes, which would deliver water from the south of China to the water-short north of China. The three potential water transfer routes are discussed in detail, emphasizing the different water regimens of the water export and water import regions, political and institutional implications, and environmental protection. A water balance study conducted according to the principle of integrated water resources planning and management has shown that, without water transfer, the water deficit in the north of China will continue to be an obstacle to sustainable development from now to 2050. Also, the analysis on the asynchronism-synchronism for the two regions concerned has implicated the uncertainty of future water resource availability in the water transfer regions.
168 citations
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TL;DR: The South-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) as discussed by the authors was proposed to alleviate water scarcity for 300 million people living in what even then will be a highly water-stressed region.
168 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the role of today's companies in relation to freshwater, and highlight various innovative practices for sustainable water use and the development of greener products and greener ways of production.
168 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, a novel global water scarcity assessment for the 21st century is presented in a two-part paper, where water use scenarios are presented for the latest global hydrological models.
Abstract: . A novel global water scarcity assessment for the 21st century is presented in a two-part paper. In this first paper, water use scenarios are presented for the latest global hydrological models. The scenarios are compatible with the socio-economic scenarios of the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), which are a part of the latest set of scenarios on global change developed by the integrated assessment, the IAV (climate change impact, adaptation, and vulnerability assessment), and the climate modeling community. The SSPs depict five global situations based on substantially different socio-economic conditions during the 21st century. Water use scenarios were developed to reflect not only quantitative socio-economic factors, such as population and electricity production, but also key qualitative concepts such as the degree of technological change and overall environmental consciousness. Each scenario consists of five factors: irrigated area, crop intensity, irrigation efficiency, and withdrawal-based potential industrial and municipal water demands. The first three factors are used to estimate the potential irrigation water demand. All factors were developed using simple models based on a literature review and analysis of historical records. The factors are grid-based at a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5° and cover the whole 21st century in five-year intervals. Each factor shows wide variation among the different global situations depicted: the irrigated area in 2085 varies between 2.7 × 106 and 4.5 × 106 km2, withdrawal-based potential industrial water demand between 246 and 1714 km3 yr−1, and municipal water between 573 and 1280 km3 yr−1. The water use scenarios can be used for global water scarcity assessments that identify the regions vulnerable to water scarcity and analyze the timing and magnitude of scarcity conditions.
167 citations