Global groundwater science and sustainability

NSERC探索基金的目标是研究与地学和工程界出现的大规模地下水系统有关的重要基本和应用问题，例如地下水使用的可持续性，以及地下水与气候和海洋等其他地球系统之间尚未解决的联系。我的长期研究目标是在多个尺度上研究基本的水文地质过程，以及地下水、地球过程和社会之间的相互作用，以实现地下水的可持续利用。这笔赠款的目的是检验五个令人振奋的假设：*1)地下水与其他地球系统的相互作用，如气候和海洋集群，可以预测地下水-地表水系统的关键转变；*2)全球地下水模型的性能在观测的不确定性范围内，模型可以估计地下水使用的全球边界；*3)可以利用断裂带和更深的数据改进全球渗透率绘图；*4)地下水污染的风险可以在全球范围内评估；以及*5)对于不可持续的地下水利用，可再生能源是一种潜在的经济替代方案。*这些假设令人兴奋，因为它们将有助于解决地下水与其他地球系统之间的联系，并朝着地下水的可持续性迈出切实的一步。*这项研究是在新兴的“大尺度水文地质学”领域进行的，该领域研究区域(10‘S公里)到大陆(1000’S公里)尺度的地下水系统。随着地下水过程在未来五年内被纳入更多的区域到全球模型，该领域将取得重大突破和影响。我提出了一个雄心勃勃、多样化的研究计划，并提供了出色的HQP培训，有望使我成为该领域的国际领导者。*这些研究对当前国内和国际关注的问题具有重大影响，如水安全、生态系统服务和可再生能源生产。这一研究方案直接促进了地下水和低排放能源系统可持续管理的国家研究优先事项，以及保护与水有关的生态系统的联合国可持续发展目标等国际优先事项。这些研究还将通过以下方式对地球科学产生重大影响：1)突出地下水对其他地球系统的重要性，改进下一代地球系统模型；2)评估地下水使用的生态限度，以及如何通过可再生能源发电维持这些限度。从战略上讲，这项研究计划将提高加拿大在这一关键领域的地位，特别是在水资源首次成为一个重大的全球问题和全球地球系统模型的一部分的情况下。

The goal of this NSERC Discovery Grant is examining important fundamental and applied problems concerning large-scale groundwater systems that have emerged in the geoscience and engineering communities such as the sustainability of groundwater use and unresolved connections between groundwater and other Earth systems such as the climate and oceans. My long-term research objective is to examine fundamental hydrogeological processes at multiple scales as well as the interactions between groundwater, Earth processes and society to enable sustainable groundwater use. The objective of this grant is to test five exciting hypotheses:*1) groundwater interactions with other Earth systems such as the climate and oceans cluster spatially and critical transitions in groundwater-surface water systems can be predicted;*2) global groundwater model performance is within the uncertainty of observations and models can estimate the planetary boundary for groundwater use;*3) global permeability mapping can be improved with data from fault zones and greater depths;*4) the risk of groundwater contamination can be evaluated globally; and*5) renewable energy is a potential economic alternative for unsustainable groundwater use.*The hypotheses are exciting since they will help resolve the connections between groundwater and other Earth systems as well as make tangible steps towards groundwater sustainability.*This research is in the emerging field of ‘mega-scale hydrogeology' that examines groundwater systems at regional (10's km) to continental (1000's km) scales. The field is poised to make significant breakthroughs and impact as groundwater processes are integrated into more regional to global models over the next five years. I propose an ambitious and diverse research program with exceptional HQP training that will hopefully position me to become an international leader within this field.******These studies have significant impact on current national and international concerns such as water security, ecosystem services and renewable energy production. This research program directly contributes to national research priorities of sustainable management of groundwater and low-emission energy systems as well as international priorities such as the UN Sustainable Development Goal for protecting water-related ecosystems. These studies will also significantly impact the geosciences by 1) highlighting where groundwater is important to other Earth systems and improving the next generation of Earth system models and 2) evaluating the ecological limits of groundwater use and how these could be maintained through renewable energy generation. Strategically, this research program will enhance Canada's profile in this critical field of mega-scale groundwater systems, especially as water resources emerge as a significant global concern and part of global Earth system models for the first time.**