Monday, May 18, 2020
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Join Zoom link: https://kaust.zoom.us/j/481635969
Changing Freshwater Availability as Viewed from Space: Implications for Water and Food Security
By Professor Jay Famiglietti, Executive Director of the Global Institute for Water Security and Canada 150 Research Chair in Hydrology and Remote Sensing, University of Saskatchewan.
Host: Professor Matthew McCabe, Associate Director of WDRC
Abstract:
Climate change and human water management are driving massive changes in the redistribution of Earth’s freshwater resources. These changes are having profound implications on global food production and human security, yet the scale of the response pales in comparison to the scope of emerging problems. In this presentation, I will review what satellites like NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) have revealed about shifting patterns of water availability, and I will discuss research into the causes and implications. The roles of climate change, interannual variability, and human behavior will be discussed. Issues including global groundwater depletion and threats to both water and food security will be highlighted.
About the speaker:
Jay Famiglietti is a hydrologist, a professor, and the Executive Director of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan, where he holds the Canada 150 Research Chair in Hydrology and Remote Sensing. Before moving to Saskatchewan, he served as the Senior Water Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. From 2013 through 2018, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California State Water Boards. A fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, Famiglietti is a regular advisor to state, provincial and federal government officials on water security issues. Read more