idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
How is climate change affecting our water resources – globally and locally? A new interactive web application, developed by Goethe University Frankfurt and the French company AGEOCE, provides a glimpse into potential future scenarios for renewable water resources, groundwater recharge, and evapotranspiration. Users can select regions worldwide and receive scientifically sound data on expected changes. This visual tool supports professionals, decision-makers, and citizens in developing sustainable adaptation strategies.
FRANKFURT. Climate change is altering water availability – across the globe, and right on our doorstep. With a new interactive map, users from science and practice can now see online how renewable water resources, groundwater recharge, and evapotranspiration might change in a specific region under various climate futures. The "Explorer for Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources" was developed by the Hydrology Working Group at Goethe University Frankfurt in cooperation with the French company AGEOCE.
Data-based foundation for sustainable water management
“Water is one of the key resources of our future – with the Explorer, we are providing society with a tool to prepare for changes early and knowledge-based”, says Prof. Petra Döll, head of the working group. The tool visualizes scientifically based simulations of future water availability under the influence of climate change. It displays the results of a multi-model ensemble, i.e., the results of several global hydrological models driven by multiple climate models.
The application shows, for all land areas of the Earth and with a spatial resolution of approximately 50 km, how groundwater recharge could change in different regions, whether to expect more or less overall water availability, and to what extent evapotranspiration increases due to the changing climate. Users can select a specific region on the world map and receive a clear diagram showing projected changes between the reference period 1985 to 2014 and three future time periods. Particularly helpful: The Explorer shows not only mean values but also the range of possible developments – depending on the emissions scenario and model uncertainties. This allows for less favourable developments to be considered and better incorporated into local planning.
Additionally, the Explorer can indicate how many of the models exceed certain thresholds – for example, a decrease in groundwater recharge by more than 20 percent. This helps assess how robust certain developments are and whether there is broad agreement among the models.
“Our application is based on simulation results from an international multi-model ensemble that makes climate impacts comparable across different levels”, explains Dr. Fabian Kneier, research associate in the Hydrology Working Group, about transdisciplinary research. “We account not only for uncertainties in the climate projections but also in the hydrological models. This was only made possible through close collaboration between science and practice – across disciplinary boundaries.”
A practical tool for science, policy, and society
The web application is aimed at a broad target group and offers a wide range of possible uses: Experts in water management and environmental planning can make well-founded assessments, for example regarding future water supply or the adaptation of existing infrastructures. Political decision-makers are provided with a reliable data basis for developing regional and supraregional adaptation strategies. Researchers and students gain access to complex modelling results that they can use for scientific analyses and teaching purposes. “Our platform makes it possible to present complex multi-model results in an accessible way – for research, policy, and practice worldwide”, says Dr. Guillaume Attard, CEO of project partner AGEOCE.
People from civil society, initiatives, or educational institutions also benefit from the accessible presentation of the data. They can use the tool to inform themselves about possible consequences of climate change in their region, raise public awareness of water issues, or initiate discussions. For instance, in the Rhine-Main region, the tool can help explore whether groundwater recharge is likely to decrease in the coming decades – an important piece of information for cities like Frankfurt, which source a large part of their drinking water from surrounding areas. The application supports the understanding of regional developments and helps to discuss appropriate adaptation measures at an early stage.
The Explorer is available at: https://www.ageoce.com/en/solutions/climate-change-water-explorer
About AGEOCE
AGEOCE specializes in geospatial solutions for environmental analysis and provides innovative tools for visualizing and interpreting complex geodata. With a focus on innovation and collaboration, AGEOCE creates applications that support decision-making in the environmental and climate sectors.
Dr. Fabian Kneier
Hydrology Research Group
Institute of Physical Geography
Department of Geosciences
Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
+49 (0)69 798 40220
f.kneier@em.uni-frankfurt.de
https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/45217668/dl
The web-based “Explorer” shows global projections for potential changes in water resources caused by ...
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