Future Water Priorities for the Nation Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey Water Mission Area (2018) / Chapter Skim
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3 Priority Questions and Recommendations
3 Priority Questions and Recommendations
Pages 37-54
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From page 37... ...
A subset of these questions, however, has been determined by the committee to have the highest potential not only to address the critical water science and resources challenges but also to advance the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS's)
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From page 38... ...
Space-based sensors for global-scale observations of water stocks have made great advances (Lettenmaier et al., 2015) , but technical challenges exist with respect to measuring and monitoring water quality.
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These models will also support integration of a suite of other components essential to the USGS water missions, such as human impacts, climate change, ecosystems, water quality, and human health (Patterson et al., 2017)
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Data Outsourcing Historically, USGS scientists and technicians were among the only groups in the nation with the training and qualifications to collect consistent, accurate, and unbiased water resources data, and USGS water programs were well supported in federal budgets. Now, more than half of WMA funding comes directly from state and local sources (see Appendix A for more discussion)
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From page 41... ...
In partnership with USGS, CrowdHydrology10 uses crowdsourced observations of stage-height data at numerous sites in 15 states, while Stream Tracker, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) -funded citizen science project, documents intermittent stream flow.11 The National Water Quality Monitoring Council, also in partnership with USGS, provides information to organizations interested in establishing citizen science monitoring programs.12 The opportunity for citizen scientists to fill data gaps and supplement existing data networks through collection of basic water-quality measurements or water sampling for later analysis will continue to grow.
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From page 42... ...
To effectively manage water resources and to provide clean and safe water for all, there is a critical need for reliable, comprehensive data on the quantity and quality of the nation's surface water and groundwater resources. WMA is tasked with collecting water quantity, movement, distribution, and quality data, which are archived in the National Water Information System.
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R ecommendation 1.1: Enhance data collection, include citizen science, and develop Web-based analytical tools. To enable the nation to meet future water resources challenges, WMA should (1)
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. Continuity in its surface water and groundwater quantity and quality monitoring programs will enable USGS to elucidate trends in water movement, storage, abundance, and quality as human activity continues to alter the hydrologic cycle.
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From page 45... ...
In addition, tools used to predict land-use change or plans for anticipated water infrastructure can be used to help guide USGS regarding new locations for additional water measurements. USGS could provide leadership in developing predictive models to assess future water quantity and quality conditions under different landand water-use scenarios.
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From page 46... ...
The current dependence on state and local partners to collect most water-use data has led to inconsistent data collection and, in some cases, to significant data gaps. Water-use reporting is mostly in response to state regulations (which vary across the nation)
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Understanding the extent and patterns of anthropogenic water withdrawals is critical toward assessing available and future water stocks and their impact on aquatic and watershed ecosystems (Vörösmarty et al., 2000, 2010; Gleick, 2003a,b)
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Looking ahead, USGS is well positioned to play a leadership role in monitoring, detecting, understanding, and predicting climate-driven water quantity and quality changes and delivering such knowledge to the end users and the public. WMA needs to strategically monitor indicators of water quality and quantity at locations and timescales that will most likely be affected by climate change in the coming decades and to use this information in developing and refining integrated models that can be used to project potential hydrologic impacts of a changing climate.
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From page 49... ...
To enable stronger predictive capabilities, WMA can continue to develop integrative models that consider surface water and groundwater processes simultaneously. Such models can treat water quantity and quality as co-evolving entities.
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USGS produces the data and tools that inform the actions of those agencies, such as producing models and software for predicting surface water and groundwater flows, assessing water quality, and collecting data on and calculating recurrence statistics for extreme events. These scientific tools also assist in state and local decision-making.
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ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WATER MISSION AREA Integrated, coupled system models are necessary to better understand the complex water systems -- whether natural components, human impacts, or evolving states such as changing climate and environmental conditions. Integrated models that incorporate appropriate temporal and spatial scales will improve understanding of water quantity, water quality, and the linkages and feedbacks among hydrologic components.
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From page 52... ...
Given that water resources challenges are inherently interdisciplin ary, WMA should continue to build and maintain strong collabora tions. WMA should maintain and strengthen ties with other USGS mission areas to maximize the impact of its work on observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water data and issues.
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From page 53... ...
In addition to WMA's current workforce strengths in hydrology and water science, a highly trained workforce with expertise in data and computational science (including big data, data analytics, and data delivery and visualization) ; modeling; remote sensing; disciplines such as climate science, hydrology, geochemistry, and ecosystem science; and interdisciplinary fields such as hydroclimatology and hydrochemistry will be needed.
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From page 54... ...
54 FUTURE WATER PRIORITIES FOR THE NATION to deal with hazards. The five high-priority questions identified above can provide a framework to help guide the evolution of WMA, so that USGS can effectively address the water science and resources challenges that will face the nation over the next 25 years.
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