Cofunded by the European Union

Water4All’s 2022 Joint Transnational Call sought to deliver knowledge, models, approaches, tools and methodologies to better understand hydrological processes at different scales and to respond more efficiently to emerging water issues related to extreme events. 

The Call also addressed innovative governance models and enhanced participation of stakeholders, communities and society at large in water management issues related to extreme events. 

The increase in the number of hydrological extreme events in the last few decades has motivated the research community to investigate their spatial variability and underlying processes. Evidence suggests that, to properly support water management and tackle future and emerging challenges, it is necessary to make progress in understanding the spatiotemporal complex systems that drive hydrological events. 

Today, the series of the 27 excellent R&D projects selected for funding continues. 

An introduction to the three following funded projects is presented: ISOSCAN, LANDEX and MARSURE.

ISOSCAN project / Coordinator: Harald SODEMANN

ISOSCAN project is focused on “Isotope-aided assessment and forecasting of hydroclimatic extremes in Scandinavia with stakeholder co-design”

The general objectives of this project are:

  • Develop a scalable, effective citizen science framework that involves recreational nature users to overcome the lack in spatiotemporal isotope data in Scandinavia;
  • Obtain spatially and temporally resolved water isotope data obtained from a range of sources across Scandinavia;
  • Use the novel stable water isotope dataset to improve estimates of the snowpack, and physical process representations in a hydrological model; and
  • Disseminate co-designed outcomes and the improved hydrological model capability.

Link to the Water4All project webpage ISOSCAN

 

LANDEX project / Coordinator: Jantiene BAARTMAN

LANDEX project is focused on “Improving landscape resilience by integrating measures to adapt and mitigate hydrological extremes”

The general objectives of this project are:

  • Investigate in each study area for flood and drought on: the hotspots /  how mitigation measures perform or do not, both technically and socioeconomically /  potential synergies of (NBS) measures mitigation, with the concept of water retention landscapes.
  • Co-design spatial adaptation scenarios of feasible and potentially effective suites of measures in the landscape,
  • Quantify the effectiveness of the adaptation scenarios on floods and droughts using spatially explicit hydrological models.
  • Develop a tool to support managers in optimising landscape resilience to hydroclimatic extremes and visualise scenario outcomes through an online map interface.
  • Stimulate co-learning between the 5 study areas by enabling the exchange of experiences with different sets of innovative adaptation measures.

Link to the Water4All project webpage LANDEX

 

MARSURE project / Coordinator: Jens AAMAND

MARSURE project is focused on “Hybrid managed aquifer recharge as an adaption tool to ensure a resilient and healthy groundwater resource”

The general objectives of this project are:

  • Determine the best pretreatment technologies for specific source waters
  • Define how pretreatments affect the removal of chemical and microbial pollutants in the following MAR (Managed Aquife Recharge) ;
  • Identify means to stimulate metabolic and cometabolic degradation processes and avoid spreading of antibiotic resistance;
  • Establish a model framework highlighting sites most vulnerable to droughts at the regional scale and the potential for implementing hybrid-MAR at those sites;
  • Evaluate, through modelling, the positive effect of implementing MAR at the catchment scale on the available groundwater resource.

Link to the Water4All project webpage MARSURE

Other news

See all news

The Water4All Partnership - Water Security for the Planet - is a funding programme for scientific research in freshwater. It aims to tackle water challenges to face climate change, help to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and boost the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

It is co-funded by the European Union within the frame of the Horizon Europe programme (a key funding programme for research and innovation). The Partnership duration is for seven years from 2022.

The Water4All objective is to enable water security at a large scale and in the long term. Its goal is also to tackle water issues in a holistic frame. 

All forms of life on earth need water. All human activities operate with this resource. Water is part of our everyday life. It is also integrated within urban and countryside landscapes. It is one of the most valuable elements we share with plants and animals.

These simple facts must be kept in mind to understand the Water4All ambition.

This resource is weakened in many places due to climate changes, and human habits. We know that we can improve the way we use water. Everyone has a role to play and especially the scientific research community.

Scientific research is the heart of the Partnership as It is a powerful tool to improve knowledge on preserving, restoring, and managing this essential resource. 

International cooperation is also needed as water has no borders on Earth and runs from one country to another.

Water4All brings together a broad and cohesive group of 90 partners from 33 countries in the European Union and beyond. This consortium gathers partners from the whole water Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) chain.