WATER & CLIMATE

ISciences Water Security Indicator Model (WSIM)

ISciences WSIM Electricity Assessment

ISciences WSIM Agricultural Assessment

Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas

Kytoto and Beyond: Multilateral Agreements Related to Climate Change

Kytoto and Beyond: Multilateral Agreements Related to Climate Change

ISciences assesses the impact of water and climate stress on people, industry, and agriculture.  We monitor long-term trends, document current conditions, and project future changes on time scales of months to decades using our Water Security Indicator Model (WSIM).

Our work is featured in the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas and the National Intelligence Council’s Global Water Security report and map.

Water Security Indicator Model (WSIM)
The ISciences Water Security Indicator Model (WSIM) monitors and forecasts water anomalies on a near global basis.  Each monthly report documents current conditions and forecasts future conditions with lead times of 1-9 months at 0.5°x0.5° resolution.  WSIM has been in continuous operation since April 2011 and has proven to provide reliable forecasts of emerging water security concerns in that timeframe. WSIM forecasts have been validated against subsequent observations.  WSIM includes the capability to assess impacts of droughts and floods on people, agricultural production and electricity generation. 

WSIM Electricity Assessment
The ISciences WSIM electricity assessment evaluates the degree to which water deficits restrict electricity production from hydropower and thermal plants (including nuclear). It considers upstream reservoir capacity and consumptive use, fuel stock and cooling technology, and downstream water stress.

WSIM Agricultural Assessment
The ISciences WSIM agricultural assessment evaluates the degree to which water anomalies restrict agricultural production. It uses data about cultivation areas, crop calendars, and reservoir capacity to provide geographically explicit loss risk maps. This capability has been validated against USDA yield and insurance data for the coterminous United States.

Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas
ISciences partnered with the World Resources Institute to help define the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas and develop a consistently defined suite of water risk indicators. ISciences analytics are used for six of the twelve indicators in Aqueduct (baseline water stress, inter-annual variability, seasonal variability, upstream storage, return flow ratio, and upstream protected land).  The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas also includes ISciences projections of change in water stress from 2010 to 2020, 2030, and 2040 under three coupled socioeconomic and climate scenarios.

Kyoto and Beyond
ISciences follows and publicly reports on the progress of multi-lateral negotiations to address climate change through its "Kyoto and Beyond" presentation series.  Prior to major conferences, we produce a primer on the history and status of negotiations to date, and preview the major issues to be addressed.  These are followed by summaries that document the results of each meeting and likely next steps.  Reports are issued as easy to follow hyperlinked slide presentations.

ISciences supports numerous efforts to assess the impacts of climate change and climatic extremes on human security, food security, and energy security for a wide range of government, corporate, and non-governmental organization clients.

For more information contact info@isciences.com.