Collaborative Research Nodes
Texas Water Research Network researchers collaborate to advance knowledge related to the state of the Texas water system in four areas.
Research Theme
- Develop a framework for evaluating hydrologic resiliency recognizing water-energy-land nexus
Grand Challenge
- Define the best science for understanding water resiliency along the new 100th meridian (McAllen-San Antonio-Austin-Dallas) corridor
Research Plans and Objectives
- Develop a comprehensive conceptual model for an integrated framework of systems for the water-energy-land nexus along the new 100th meridian
- Identify key scientific gaps and limitations with the current state-of-the-science
- How well does the hydrologic science support/exploit information from other nodes
- Review existing models, tools and methods currently being used for water resources management, especially for their ability to perform integrated water-energy-land assessments under projected climate and demographic scenarios
- Develop a position paper summarizing the current state-of-the-science
Leaders
- Venki Uddameri (Texas Tech Univ.)
- Michael Young (Univ. of Texas at Austin)
Research Themes
- Develop useful downscaled climate projection information
- Quantify uncertainty in those projections
Grand Challenges
- Climate model output suitable for driving hydrologic models
- Complete knowledge of input uncertainty
Research Plans and Objectives
- Develop and test hybrid dynamical-statistical downscaling techniques
- Assess global climate model hydrologic performance
Leaders
- John Nielsen-Gammon (Texas A&M Univ.)
- Zong-Liang Yang (Univ. of Texas at Austin)
Research Themes
- Develop projection/forecast scenarios for population and land-use and related water demand
- Develop land-use scenarios in a way that can be used as inputs into water supply modeling
Grand Challenge
- Develop a better understanding of the water demands of Texas at the state and at more localized levels of analysis
Research Plans and Objectives
- Define and implement a strategy for projecting residential water demand
- Define a strategy to project commercial and agricultural water demand
- Develop scenarios with variable assumptions of population growth, land-use change, and changes in commercial and agricultural activity that can be utilized to project water demand.
- Develop projection scenarios of land-use that can be employed in water supply modeling
Leaders
- Lloyd Potter, (Univ. of Texas San Antonio)
- Allan Shearer (Univ. of Texas at Austin)
Research Theme
- Stakeholders and Resiliency
Grand Challenge
- How can we produce a regional scale assessment of water resiliency that can be used to identify key risk factors and inform effective solutions through education, policy and technology?
Research Plans and Objectives
- Develop normative scenarios that represent possible combinations of decisions and actions that might be taken by municipal, regional and state government and area stakeholders to ensure future water resiliency in rapidly changing human and natural systems of Texas
- Inform effective solutions thru application of multi-scale, multi-indicator methodology that allows policy-makers and experts flexibility to contextualize causal factors in the modeling process thru selection of evidence-based variables of vulnerability and resilience
Leaders
- Suzanne A Pierce (Univ. of Texas at Austin)
- Patrick Bixler (Univ. of Texas at Austin)