This document discusses water resources, agriculture, ecosystems, and biodiversity as they relate to climate change. It summarizes several European projects focused on using observations from space and on the ground to monitor water balances, adapt to climate change impacts, and ensure food and water security for populations that rely on water from glacial regions in Asia. Opportunities for collaboration between these projects are also discussed.

1. Session 3 B Water, Agriculture, Ecosystems, Biodiversity
CEOP
–
AEGIS
and
Water
–
Climate
Hot
Spots
Massimo
Menen:
Del<
University
of
Technology
Jerome
Colin
Université
de
Strasbourg
GEO
European
Project
Workshop
-­‐
London
February
8
-­‐
9
1

2. Water Balance Model domain
GEO
European
Project
Workshop
-­‐
London
February
8
-­‐
9
2

3. CEOP – AEGIS vs. EUGENE
• CEOP
–
AEGIS
data
products
properly
documented
in
Status
Quo
Report
Water
with
accurate
linkages
to
GEO
Tasks
• CEOP
–
AEGIS
not
menLoned
in
the
European
GEOSS
Workshop
on
Water
• CEOP
–
AEGIS
irrelevant
to
European
contribuLon
to
GEO?
• Does
informaLon
on
GEO
Tasks
gets
lost
in
the
process?
GEO
European
Project
Workshop
-­‐
London
February
8
-­‐
9
3

4.
Climate Change Adaptation
• hydrological
observa:ons,
analyses
and
predic:ons
• mi:gate
the
impacts
of
climate
change
• remove
the
underlying
causes
of
vulnerability
to
climate
change
• Themes:
– Short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
hydrological
variability
and
climate
change
– Resilience
versus
vulnerability
of
hydrologic
systems
– Resilience
of
hydrological
systems
to
climate
variability
– Iden:fying
and
removing
the
causes
of
the
vulnerability
of
hydrological
systems
to
climate
change
– Reconstruc:on
of
adapta:on
mechanisms
to
hydrological
variability
in
the
recent
past
• Need
to
integrate
very
diverse
data
and
models
river-­‐wise
GEO
European
Project
Workshop
-­‐
London
February
8
-­‐
9
4

5. Water balance observations from space
• Gravity
(GRACE)
• Radar
alLmetry
(water
level)
• Laser
alLmetry
(water
level,
ice
and
snow)
• High
resoluLon
DSM
(ALOS
/
PRISM)
• SAR
interferometry
GEO
European
Project
Workshop
-­‐
London
February
8
-­‐
9
5

6. Opportunities to join forces
CEOP-­‐AEGIS
(F,
NL,
D
,
E,
IT):
A
protoype
observa:on
system
for
water
resources
in
South
–
East
Asia:
ground
and
space
observa:ons
SHARE
–
PAPRIKA
(IT,
F):
Cryospheric
responses
to
anthropogenic
pressures
in
the
Hindu
Kush
–
Karakoram
–
Himalaya
regions:
impacts
on
water
resources
and
availability.
THIRD
POLE
ENVIRONMENT
(D,
NL):
water
-­‐
ice
-­‐
air
-­‐
ecosystem
-­‐
human
interac:ons
G-­‐WADI
(UNESCO):
strengthen
the
capacity
to
manage
the
water
resources
of
arid
and
semi-­‐arid
areas
around
the
globe
GEO
European
Project
Workshop
-­‐
London
February
8
-­‐
9
6

7. Climate Change Will Affect the Asian
Water Towers Immerzeel et al., 2010
The map shows the importance of melt water to downstream areas (pie charts) and the
number of people threatened in their food security due to reduction in upstream flow
due to climate change
GEO
European
Project
Workshop
-­‐
London
February
8
-­‐
9
7