UNESCO - UNESCO - GRAPHICGRAPHIC

projectproject

Groundwater Resources

Assessment under the Pressures of

Humanity and Climate Change

GRAPHIC Vision

GRAPHIC promotes and advances sustainable groundwater management in the face of climate change and linked human impacts.

GRAPHIC Mission

GRAPHIC provides a platform for exchange of information through case studies, thematic working groups, research, and communication.

GRAPHIC serves the global community through providing scientifically-based recommendations that are policy relevant.

GRAPHIC uses regional and global networks to improve capacity to manage groundwater resources.

Aims/Rationale of GRAPHIC

State the problem. What is the problem?

How to investigate this problem? Apply scientific methods. Identify relevant indicators of change (climatic and human impacts). Fill knowledge gaps.

Mitigation and adaptation. Must suggest some mitigation/proposals that will be relevant for policy. Concrete proposals based on scientific evidence.

Communication strategy (to policy makers). Stake-holder engagement, to improve upon the message.

GRAPHIC International group of experts and partnerships

Established partnerships with: USGS, USDA, NASA, NGWA, RIHN, IGRAC, IAH, CCCCC, Universities in Canada, The Netherlands, UK, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, …), Geological Surveys (TNO, BGR, BRGM), CPWC, WWAP, UNU-EHS, ICHARM

Potential partnerships with: IPCC, UNECE, GWEX, IGWCO, IAHS, International and regional levels …

Water Quantity (Recharge/Discharge/Storage) - Water balance

Water Quality Interdependencies

- Vadose-zone processes - Surface-water [fresh and saline] - Water-Use Sectors- Ecosystems- Human (Socioeconomic, Human health,

Population/demographics)- Hazards (flooding, subsidence, landscapes, etc)- Climate feedbacks

Management and policy

Structure of GRAPHIC: Subjects & Issues

IGRAC

Structure of GRAPHIC: Methods

Information systems - Centralized data resources

- Data and metadata requirements- Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Environmental Monitoring - Network design

- Detection of climate change signals- Detection of spatiotemporal trends in GW

quality and quantity Paleo-Indicators of Environmental Change

- Past climate change- Response of hydrological systems to climate

changeRemote sensing

- GRACE satellite - Land Use/Land Cover change analyses- Landsat and other sensors

Geochemical, Isotopic, Bio-Indicator Studies Geophysical Methods Simulation and Modeling Inter-Regional Comparative Studies

Structure of GRAPHIC: Methods

Structure of GRAPHIC: Case studies (existing and potential)

Regional components of GRAPHIC and groups of experts

GRAPHIC - Latin America & Caribbean (Belize meeting, Nov. 2007)

GRAPHIC - Asia & Pacific (Toyama, Oct. 2008; Jaipur, 2008)

GRAPHIC – Africa (Kampala, June 2008)

GRAPHIC – Europe (EGU Vienna, April 2008)

GRAPHIC – North America (San Francisco, Dec. 2008)

Linkages with other UNESCO-IHP projects and programmes

HELP (Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy) ISARM (Internationally Shared/Transboundary Aquifer Resources Management) G-WADI (Water and Development Information for Arid Lands – A Global Network) JIIHP (Joint International Isotopes Hydrology Programme) GWES (Groundwater for Emergency Situations) GWHS (Groundwater for Human Security)

Activities, Meetings and Conferences

Belize meeting, 19-21 Nov 2007 [1st GRAPHIC LAC meeting] Kampala, Uganda meeting – June 25-28th, 2008 [6th GRAPHIC Expert

meeting; 1st GRAPHIC Africa meeting] IAH, Toyama, Japan – October 26 to November 1, 2008 [1st GRAPHIC

Asia meeting] International Conference on Water Scarcity, Global Changes and

Groundwater Management Responses 1-6 December 2008: Irvine, California [GRAPHIC contribution]

International Groundwater Conference on Groundwater Dynamics and Global Change, 11-14 March 2008, Jaipur, India [GRAPHIC session]

5th World Water Forum, Istanbul, March 2009 [GRAPHIC session] EGU 2008 AGU, San Francisco, USA December 2008 [1st North American

GRAPHIC meeting] GRAPHIC-LAC: Conference of water experts and climate in Brazil, 2008 GRAPHIC-LAC: Workshop in 2009

Future activities of GRAPHIC

• Groundwater-based livelihoods

• Groundwater-fed ecosystems

• Monitoring and Modelling Groundwater use and replenishment

• Estimation of groundwater resources and demand

• Groundwater management

Kampala 2008 Conference topics:

UNESCO - GRAPHIC projectGroundwater Resources Assessment under

the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Change

New expanded GRAPHIC Brochure – January 2008, suggested title: “GRAPHIC: Scientific Advance in Vision and Framework”

Publication on selected GRAPHIC case studies document - June 2008 A World of Science – Newsletter (GRAPHIC article on Groundwater and

Climate Change in the April, 2008 issue) State of the Art document – ready for World Water Forum in March, 2009 3-page Policy Brief on Groundwater & Climate Change for the World Water

Forum, March 2009 Educational brochures 2009 Kampala conference proceedings on CD – June 2008 Publication of case studies by region, resulting from regional meetings. 2009

Publications and dissemination documents

Future activities of GRAPHIC 2008-2009

Electronic Forum (blog) on Major GRAPHIC ThemesOpen to other experts, public domain. IGRAC to help establish this e-forumExplore this digital discussion options

International Programmes and Initiatives

IPCC Interngovernmental Panel on Climate Change

UNFCCC United Nations Framework Covention on Climate Change

World Climate Research Programme (WMO, UNESCO-IOC, ICSU)

UNECE Water Convention's Task Force on Water and Climate

GEWEX Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment

IGWCO Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations

CPWC Cooperative Programme on Water and Climate Change

IAH Working group on groundwater and climate change

IAHS International Comission on the Coupled Land-Atmosphere System

International Comission on Groundwater

WWAP-WWDR3 World Water Assessment Programme

ICHARM International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management

CCCCC Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre

IGRAC International Groundwater Resources Assessment Center

Selected GRAPHIC case studies

1. Evaluation Of Future Climate Change Impacts On European Groundwater Resources, Kevin Hiscock, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich UK

1. Recharge Modeling for Climate Change Studies: Advances and Challenges, the Abbotsford aquifer, Grand Forks valley and the south Okanagan valley, Diana Allen, Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC (Canada)

2. Case studies in Latin America and Caribbean: Brazil, Henrique Chaves, University of Brasilia and Argentina, Litoral Area, Ofelia Tuchjneider, Universidad de Litoral.

3. Current GRAPHIC-related research activities in the humid tropics of East Africa, Richard Taylor, University College London UK, (Uganda)

4. Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Groundwater Resources in The Netherlands, Gualbert Oude Essink, TNO (The Netherlands)

5. Interrelation between the sea and groundwater in Israel – past, present and future, Yoseph Yechieli, Geological Survey of Israel

6. Evaluating human activities and climatic effects on ground water in the High Plains Aquifer, USA, Jason Gurdak, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO (USA)

7. Climatic and Human Influences on Groundwater in Low Atolls, Ian white (Pacific)Human Impacts on urban subsurface environment in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area Basin, Makoto

Taniguchi, RIHN Institute, (Japan)

8. Climate change impacts in groundwater resources in a Mediterranean island, Mallorca, Lucila Candela, UPC, (Spain)

Potential Case studies

• Latin America and Caribbean region: Brazil (human impact), Trinidad (Human and potential climate change), Bahamas (climate variability and change), Jamaica (climate variability and change), and Argentina (climate change in de Litoral area). A case study in Central America has been identified.• Himalayas• Northern China Plain• Mali• Southern British Columbia• Southern Europe (Spain, Italy)• Humid Tropics – East Africa and China• Delta and Coastal Areas

1st GRAPHIC expert meeting at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, on Mar.1-3 2004, kickoff meeting for GRAPHIC.

2nd GRAPHIC expert meeting at University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, on April 3-5, 2005.

1st International Symposium on GRAPHIC (and 3rd GRAPHIC expert meeting) was held at Kyoto, Japan, on April 4-6, 2006. Special section in Vadose Zone Journal (Soil Sci. Soc. Amer.) on GRAPHIC were published in August, 2007.

4th GRAPHIC expert meeting held in Estes Park, Colorado on 17-20 September 2007. Definition of GRAPHIC workplan for IHP-VII

Activities on GRAPHIC to date described in detail at: http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/USE/GRAPHIC/meeting.htm

GRAPHIC Activities to Date

Future activities of GRAPHIC

Regional GRAPHIC meetings and case studies

Workshops of expert groups

International Conferences and Symposia

E-fora

Scientific discussions

Dissemination and communication

Publications and brochures

Journals

Web-site (RIHN)

Information resources

Information system on Groundwater and Climate (IGRAC)