Human–water interface in hydrological modelling: current status and future directions
Over recent decades, the global population has been rapidly increasing and human activities have altered terrestrial water fluxes to an unprecedented extent. The phenomenal growth of the human footprint has significantly modified hydrological processes in various ways (e.g. irrigation, artificia...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-08-01
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Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
Online Access: | https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/4169/2017/hess-21-4169-2017.pdf |
Summary: | Over recent decades, the global population has been rapidly
increasing and human activities have altered terrestrial water fluxes to an
unprecedented extent. The phenomenal growth of the human footprint has
significantly modified hydrological processes in various ways
(e.g. irrigation, artificial
dams, and water diversion) and at various scales (from a watershed to the
globe). During the early 1990s, awareness of the potential for increased
water scarcity led to the first detailed global water resource assessments.
Shortly thereafter, in order to analyse the human perturbation on terrestrial
water resources, the first generation of large-scale hydrological models
(LHMs) was produced. However, at this early stage few models considered the
interaction between terrestrial water fluxes and human activities, including
water use and reservoir regulation, and even fewer models distinguished water
use from surface water and groundwater resources. Since the early 2000s, a
growing number of LHMs have incorporated human impacts on the hydrological
cycle, yet the representation of human activities in hydrological models
remains challenging. In this paper we provide a synthesis of progress in the
development and application of human impact modelling in LHMs. We highlight a
number of key challenges and discuss possible improvements in order to better
represent the human–water interface in hydrological models. |
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ISSN: | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |