Towards resilient rural groundwater systems in a climate emergency

在气候紧急情况下建立具有复原力的农村地下水系统

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-03261
• 负责人: Levison, Jana
• 金额: $ 3.13万
• 依托单位: University of Guelph
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=753189
• 关键词: Towards; resilient; rural; groundwater; systems

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Future changes in precipitation, temperature and land use will influence the water balance, affecting groundwater quantity and quality. Thus, we need to understand how we can adapt water use and management practices to foster more resilient groundwater systems to ensure water supply sustainability and to address other related critical issues such as food security in Canada. My overarching goal is to develop data-informed adaptation strategies and approaches for groundwater system resiliency. In the next five years, I plan to develop climate change adaptation strategies applicable for rural groundwater systems for various user groups and communities (agricultural groundwater users, private and rural well users, and Indigenous communities). I will study potential adaptation strategies and approaches for groundwater management in the agricultural sector using nature-based solutions. For example, I will investigate: 1) how existing practices such as dugout ponds impact the water balance and groundwater systems, and their viability as an adaptation strategy during droughts; and 2) new ways to increase groundwater quantity such as managed aquifer recharge. Ultimately, I will develop a toolkit that farmers can use to learn strategies to protect their groundwater. I will study flooding of private and municipal wells used by rural citizens in southern Ontario. I will collect field data to develop a coupled groundwater-surface water model that can shed light on the mechanisms of well flooding, and inform the development of new ways to ensure water security. The model will also be used to develop a real-time flood forecasting framework that integrates groundwater processes. In partnership with Indigenous communities, I will use science-based approaches and Indigenous knowledge to develop methodologies for community-based water monitoring programs that assess impacts of climate change on groundwater resources. Using the data collected, I will develop frameworks to assess vulnerability of groundwater and groundwater-surface water interacting systems to climate change. Developing adaptation strategies in a groundwater context is understudied, and thus this research is poised to make great impact. The results will improve water security, human and ecosystem health, and will reduce water vulnerability and risk of climate change threats. The economic benefits of developing and adopting climate change adaptation strategies is immense. It has recently been estimated that every dollar invested in adaptation in Canada generates about $5 to $6 in benefits. Nine trainees at the doctoral, Master's and undergraduate levels (as well as two community-based researchers in Indigenous communities), will gain valuable, state of the science training in this field, and poise them to be leaders in understanding and adapting to climate change impacts on groundwater resources.

气候变化是我们这个时代最紧迫的问题之一。降水，温度和土地使用的未来变化将影响水平衡，影响地下水数量和质量。因此，我们需要了解如何调整用水和管理实践来促进更多弹性的地下水系统，以确保供水可持续性并解决其他相关关键问题，例如加拿大粮食安全。我的总体目标是为地下水系统的弹性制定数据信息的适应策略和方法。在接下来的五年中，我计划制定适用于农村地下水系统的气候变化适应策略（农业地下水用户，私人和农村井用户以及土著社区）。 我将使用基于自然的解决方案研究农业部门的地下水管理的潜在适应策略和方法。例如，我将调查：1）现有的实践（例如独木舟）如何影响水平衡和地下水系统，以及它们在干旱期间作为适应策略的生存能力； 2）增加地下水数量的新方法，例如托管含水层补给。最终，我将开发一个工具包，农民可以用来学习保护地下水的策略。我将研究安大略省南部农村公民使用的私人和市政井的洪水。我将收集现场数据，以开发一个耦合的地下水表面水模型，该模型可以阐明井洪水的机制，并为确保水安全的新方法提供信息。该模型还将用于开发一个集成地下水流程的实时洪水预测框架。与土著社区合作，我将使用基于科学的方法和土著知识来开发基于社区的水监测计划的方法，以评估气候变化对地下水资源的影响。使用收集的数据，我将开发框架，以评估地下水和地下水面水相互作用系统的脆弱性以使气候变化。在地下水环境中制定适应策略的研究已经进行了研究，因此这项研究有望产生重大影响。结果将改善水安全，人类和生态系统的健康，并减少水脆弱性和气候变化威胁的风险。制定和采用气候变化适应策略的经济利益是巨大的。最近估计，加拿大适应的每一美元都会产生约5至6美元的福利。博士学位，硕士和本科级别的九名学员（以及两名基于社区的研究人员）将获得有价值的该领域的科学培训，并有望成为理解和适应气候变化对地下水资源的影响的领导者。