BG-Water

A state-of-the-art Global Blue-Green Water Assessment mapping will be performed, which PIK will lead and carry out using the LPJmL dynamic global vegetation and water balance model. The challenge is to quantify green and blue water flows that generate different values for the economy, such as water for food, energy, biomass materials, carbon sequestration, and safeguarding ecological functions in the biosphere. PIK research will also assess changes in precipitation and soil moisture (green water) under selected climate and land use change scenarios. This can include integrating LPJmL simulations with moisture feedback analyses of links between land/forest evapotranspiration and downwind rainfall generation e.g. utilising the WAM- 2layers moisture tracking model. A question that is addressed by the Economics of Water commission is how much green and blue water would be required to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. PIK may attempt to contribute to answer this question (with a view on freshwater requirements for food production).