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Developing a highresolution Water Balance Model for Africa

Project description

A high-resolution hydrological model for assessing water availability in Africa

Freshwater availability is essential for human societies and ecosystems, and predicting the impacts of climate change is particularly challenging in water-scarce regions such as Africa. Existing large-scale hydrological models often fail to capture the complex groundwater-surface water interactions accurately. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the HYDROAWARE AFRICA project will develop an advanced, efficient hydrological model for Africa at 1 km resolution. This model will accurately capture the effects of climate on hydrological components, improving our understanding of groundwater-surface water interactions and their impact on water availability. It will also support the analysis of future climate scenarios and water demand, enabling the creation of actionable plans and policies to address evolving water resources and climate challenges across Africa.

Objective

Freshwater availability at and near the Earth’s surface is essential for sustaining human societies and ecosystems. However, predicting how water resources will evolve under the variable spatial and temporal patterns of global climate change remains a significant challenge. This challenge is further exacerbated by increasing human pressures on water resources due to population growth and economic development. The situation is particularly dire in regions already facing water scarcity, limited water management infrastructure, and insufficient data—such as much of the African continent, home to approximately 1.5 billion people and many of the world’s least developed countries.
A critical aspect of this challenge is our limited understanding of how climatic and anthropogenic forces translate into changes in freshwater fluxes and storage. These responses in the hydrological cycle are generally nonlinear and nonlocal, varying across different timescales. Accurately capturing these dynamics requires a modeling approach that includes all main fluxes and stores across the landscape. Unfortunately, large-scale hydrological models often fail to faithfully represent these processes.
To address this, I propose the development of a state-of-the-art, parsimonious hydrological model at the continental scale for Africa. This high-resolution (1 km) model will accurately represent the influence of climate on all hydrological components, enabling analysis at relevant spatial and temporal scales. By improving our understanding of groundwater-surface water interactions and their impact on water availability, the model will support analyses of future climate and water demand scenarios. These insights can be translated into actionable plans and policies to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of evolving water resources and climatic hazards across Africa.

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Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Net EU contribution
€ 430 343,40
Address
RESEARCH SERVICES C/O MAIN BUILDING
CF10 3AT CARDIFF
United Kingdom
Region
Wales East Wales Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data

Partners (1)