
Thematic Field 2: Water quantity and scarcity in the regional context
Management of sustainable resources particularly in water scarce regions
Speaker: Ralf Merz (UFZ), Niels Schütze (TUD)
The work of the Center for Advanced Water Research aims to come up with tailor-made, flexible management strategies as well as suitable institutional frameworks – particularly in water-scarce regions such as the Mediterranean region or vast expanses of Sub-Saharan Africa. Due to rapidly encroaching urbanisation all over the world, especially in regions characterized by water scarcity, clean drinking water and suitable water distribution systems with appropriate sanitation concepts are key dimensions of water security. In the rapidly expanding urban regions of the South, sustainable water resources management is increasingly determining societal development.
Thematic field 2 therefore prioritises the following:
- The development of reliable models to assess the spatial and temporal variability of water and soil resources considering both volumes and chemical compositions, particularly in arid regions (interface with thematic fields 1 and 4).
- The development of sustainable technologies, among others for the treatment of waste water, enabling an efficient use of wastewater resources (e.g. sewage sludge) while at the same time conserving water and soil resources (interface with thematic field 3).
- The analysis of economic and legal framework conditions and the effects of different management strategies on natural systems and society as well as the development of appropriate regulatory, legal and administrative management strategies (interface with thematic fields 5 and 6).
- The development of spatially-explicit land use strategies (interface with thematic fields 5 und 6).
Current projects:
- IRTG-PhD: Robust design optimization of complex water networks under water scarcity conditions
- German Drought Monitor
- DFG/G8 Belmont-Forum-Project: Jordan Water Project
- UFZ Integrated Project „Water Scarcity"
- IPSWaT PhD-Projekt: "Evaluation of tropical sites for reforestations based on based on innovative soil exploring and monitoring concepts"
- EU-Projekt "GLOBAQUA" - Managing the effects of multiple stressors on aquatic ecosystems under water scarcity
- Helmholtz Virtual Institut: DESERVE (Dead Sea Research Venue)
- Helmholtz-CAS-Netzwerk: Research Centre for Environmental Information Science (RCEIS)
Completed projects:
- BMBF-Projekt "InternationaleWasserAllianz Sachsen (IWAS)"