Climate Services (Apr 2023)
Delivering the latest global water resource simulation results to the public
Abstract
Increasing demands from governments and businesses for accurate and actionable information regarding water security have led to the development of various interactive websites that provide water risk indicators. However, these websites often lack adequate descriptions of the sources and limitations of their datasets and failure to take any uncertainty associated with water risk indicators into account can have serious consequences. Furthermore, websites that only provide data for specific time points, such as mid-century and end-of-century, may be less useful. To address these limitations, we present the H08 Water Risk Tool, a scientifically rigorous platform designed to assess historical and future water resources.The H08 Water Risk Tool incorporates advanced hydrological simulations that utilize the latest modeling techniques, input data, and parameter calibration methods. Our validation indicates that the temporal variation and spatial distribution characteristics of the historical water risk indicators produced by the H08 Water Risk Tool agree with previous observations. This platform provides the public with high-quality water risk indicators, as well as the tools necessary to interpret these indicators. To ensure complete transparency, the H08 Water Risk Tool uses open-source tools and provides detailed information on its methodology and assumptions.Despite the ongoing Water Action Decade initiative launched by the United Nations, avoiding a global water crisis will require considerable work. The H08 Water Risk Tool will be a defining asset providing comprehensive and realistic assessments of water scarcity, both current and future, as well as helping to prioritize adjustments to climate change.
