[Bren School] Nature-based Solutions to Sustaining Water Supplies under the Amplification of Climate Extremes

ABSTRACT

In low-income countries of the tropics undergoing rapid growth, global warming presents major challenges to the expansion and sustainability of water supplies required to advance progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Substantial uncertainty persists, however, in projections of precipitation under climate change. A widespread impact, especially pronounced in the tropics, is the intensification of precipitation, which is characterized by a shift towards fewer but heavier rainfalls. What is the impact of this transition on terrestrial water balances and specifically the replenishment of groundwater, often the only perennial source of freshwater in drylands? What is the evidence to date from observations and how do these compare to models used to project climate change impacts? How might these changes impact freshwater demand? This seminar will interrogate these questions and review mounting empirical evidence from long-term transdisciplinary research in these environments of the resilience to climate change of groundwater resources,…