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The objective of the WAT Group is to provide the scientific foundation needed for addressing the quest for water security across scales and to help bridge science-policy-practice gaps related to water management by leading global efforts on integrated assessment of water resources and exploring transformation pathways towards a water secure future.
Water plays a central role in all human activities and needs to be managed efficiently and sustainably. The WAT Group pushes the boundary of transdisciplinary water science enabled by the institute’s recognized expertise in systems science approaches, to provide the scientific knowledge needed to address the quest for water security. The group aims to lead global efforts on integrated assessment of water supply and demand and identify solutions options that improve water scarcity, ameliorate water quality, and enhance resilience to extreme events, while at the same time engaging with key stakeholders at different levels to translate science into policy.
The group’s research has informed the development of various widely used models, which will continually be refined and extended to enable application and analysis at policy-relevant spatial scales. The group contributes to several IIASA research themes including biodiversity and ecosystem services, production and consumption, technology and innovation, and governance and institutions, by providing the water resources research expertise required for the development of a systemic approach to resolving sustainability issues.
Models, tools, datasets
Community Water Model (CWatM)
Global Hydro-economic Model (ECHO)
Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ)
Water Quality Modeling (WQM)
Projects
Sustainable water quality management supporting Uganda’s development ambitions (SWAQ-Uganda)
Advancing WFaS East Africa: Scaling out resilient water and agricultural systems (scaleWAYS)
SOS Water- Establishing a Safe Operating Space (SOS) for the global water resources system (SOS Water)
The World Bank ECA Regional Water Security Initiative: Development of an Assessment and Preparation of Diagnostic Reports
Staff
Eva Hizsnyik
Guest Research Scholar (WAT)
Silvia Artuso
Researcher (BEC, WAT)
Albert Nkwasa
Researcher (WAT)
Annika Schlemm
Guest Research Assistant (WAT)
News
10 June 2024
Analyzing the benefits of transboundary cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin
A new study conducted by IIASA researchers and their colleagues highlights that cooperation in infrastructure operation between countries surrounding the Lancang-Mekong River Basin could bring major economic and environmental co-benefits.
28 November 2023
How can we evaluate the quality of global water models?
IIASA researchers contributed to a new international study that tested the extent to which global water models agree with each other and with observational data. Using a new evaluation approach, the researchers can show in which climate regions the models agree and where they differ.
03 October 2023
Enhancing knowledge and capacity on water quality in Uganda
Deteriorating water quality poses major threats to human health, economic development, and local ecosystems in Uganda. The Ugandan government is working with international scientists to build up knowledge and enhance institutional capacity for better water quality management, as well as improve the understanding of water quality status in the country.
Events
Helsinki and Espoo, Finland
IIASA at Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2024
Vienna, Austria and online
IIASA at EGU 2024
Focus
27 June 2024
Supporting sustainable agriculture
The soil beneath our feet holds vital information for understanding agriculture, climate, and environmental sustainability. IIASA provides user friendly tools to support decision makers in developing national, regional, and global strategies for food security and the environment.
08 November 2023
Adapting water needs for agriculture in South Africa
Options Magazine, Winter 2023: In many parts of the world, access to freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Nowhere is this truer than in South Africa, which experienced a significant drought from 2015 to 2018.
Publications
Heinicke, S., Volkholz, J., Schewe, J., Gosling, S.N, Müller Schmied, H., Zimmermann, S., Mengel, M., Sauer, I.J, Burek, P. , Chang, J., Kou-Giesbrecht, S., Grillakis, M., Guillaumot, L., Hanasaki, N., Koutroulis, A., Otta, K., Qi, W., Satoh, Y., Stacke, T., Yokohata, T., & Frieler, K. (2024). Global hydrological models continue to overestimate river discharge. Environmental Research Letters 19 (7) e074005. 10.1088/1748-9326/ad52b0. Villani, L., Castelli, G., Yimer, E.A., Chawanda, C.J., Nkwasa, A., Van Schaeybroeck, B., Penna, D., van Griensven, A., & Bresci, E. (2024). Impacts of climate change and vegetation response on future aridity in a Mediterranean catchment. Agricultural Water Management 299 e108878. 10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108878. Ton, M.J., de Moel, H., de Bruijn, J. , Botzen, W.J.W., Karabiyik, H., Friedrich, M., & Aerts, J.C.J.H. (2024). The impact of natural hazards on migration in the United States and the effect of spatial dependence. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 1-19. 10.1080/09640568.2024.2359447. Yu, Y., Bo, Y., Castelletti, A., Dumas, P., Gao, J., Cai, X., Liu, J., Kahil, T. , Wada, Y. , Hu, S., Liu, B., Zhou, F., & Zhao, J. (2024). Transboundary cooperation in infrastructure operation generates economic and environmental co-benefits in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin. Nature Water 10.1038/s44221-024-00246-1. Yokomatsu, M., Schinko, T. , Mochizuki, J. , & Rezai, A. (2024). Climate-related Disaster and Human Capital Investment in the Global South — Household Heterogeneity and Growth. Economics of Disasters and Climate Change 10.1007/s41885-024-00150-8.