Development of novel approaches to improve water resources data records, deep learning based forecasting, and participatory socio-hydrological systems modeling for integrated and adaptive water resources management

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The long-term goal of my research program is to continue developing very original and practical methods to reduce the vulnerability, as well as enhance the resilience, adaptive capacity, and sustainability of water resources (WR) in Canada and elsewhere in the face of increasing complexity and climate change. In many parts of Canada and the world, pressure on WR, both in terms of quality and quantity, from urban areas, agriculture, industry and climate change are increasing, resulting in significant challenges for sustainable WR management.   The capacity of communities in Canada and elsewhere to mitigate against, and adapt to, such complex problems is constrained by numerous factors, including: i) a lack of, or unsuitable, WR data records in many watersheds that can help support WR modeling, planning and management; ii) challenges in providing very accurate short-term forecasts of WR variables and providing useful uncertainty estimates for decision makers; and iii) our limited understanding and modeling ability of the complex interactions and feedbacks between socioeconomic and physical processes in WR systems, combined with a frequent lack of meaningful participation of stakeholders in WR modeling, planning and management.   To address these complex challenges, my 5 year NSERC DG research program objectives consist of an interlinked three pronged/themed approach (that is a direct continuation of my current DG research) to develop, test, and implement very original and practical methods to improve: i) Water resources data records (Theme 1). We will develop new statistical approaches to: fill in records at stations with scattered missing values; extend records at short gauged stations or records with large missing gaps; and estimate records at completely ungauged sites. Some of these newly developed methods, and the improved WR data records obtained from their use, will also be used in themes 2 and 3 of my research program. ii) Short-term water resources variable forecasting (Theme 2). We will develop new `Deep Learning' based machine learning approaches that address nonlinearity, and new approaches to address non-stationarity and uncertainty estimation, in short-term (e.g., 1-3 days ahead) WR variable forecasting.   iii) Participatory coupled socio-hydrological systems modeling (Theme 3). We will develop new approaches to address the complex challenges of calibration, validation and `user friendly' software for participatory coupled socio-hydrological systems models that represent and dynamically model the interactions and feedbacks between physical (e.g., hydrological and related environmental processes) and socioeconomic processes that govern WR systems. The purpose of these coupled models will be to explore, in conjunction with stakeholders, long-term scenarios/trajectories and `what if' questions over decadal time spans (in contrast to short term `operational forecasting' such as Theme 2 models).