Global groundwater science and sustainability

这项NSERC发现基金的目标是研究在地球科学和工程界出现的有关大规模地下水系统的重要基础和应用问题，例如地下水使用的可持续性以及地下水与其他地球系统（如气候和海洋）之间未解决的联系。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。这项资助的目的是测试五个令人兴奋的假设：*1)地下水与其他地球系统的相互作用，如气候和海洋在空间上聚集，地下水-地表水系统的关键转变可以预测；*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利用的行星边界；*3)断层带和更深层的数据可以改进全球渗透率制图；*4)地下水污染风险可进行全球评估；可再生能源是替代不可持续地下水使用的潜在经济选择。*这些假设是令人兴奋的，因为它们将有助于解决地下水和其他地球系统之间的联系，并为地下水的可持续性迈出切实的一步。*这项研究属于新兴的“大尺度水文地质学”领域，研究区域（10公里）到大陆（1000公里）尺度的地下水系统。随着地下水过程在未来五年内被整合到更多的区域到全球模型中，该领域有望取得重大突破和影响。我提出了一个雄心勃勃的、多样化的研究项目，并提供卓越的HQP培训，希望能使我成为该领域的国际领导者。******这些研究对当前国家和国际关注的问题有重大影响，如水安全、生态系统服务和可再生能源生产。该研究项目直接促进了地下水可持续管理和低排放能源系统的国家研究重点，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。这些研究还将对地球科学产生重大影响：1)强调地下水对其他地球系统的重要性，并改进下一代地球系统模型；2)评估地下水使用的生态极限，以及如何通过可再生能源发电来维持这些极限。从战略上讲，该研究项目将提高加拿大在这一重要的大型地下水系统领域的地位，特别是水资源首次成为全球关注的重要问题和全球地球系统模型的一部分

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.**