Assessing water availability now and in the future Ongoing research in Zimbabwe, Scotland and Spain - Dr. Alexandre Gagnon

Abstract: The first part of the talk will present the results of my research on the hydrology of the ephemeral (or episodic) rivers of southwestern Zimbabwe, which are commonly known as ’sand rivers’. Given the semi-arid climate of this part of Zimbabwe, surface water resources are limited and often restricted to urban populations. In rural communities, groundwater is a vital resource. However, given the geology of the region, groundwater resources are limited. Water is typically abstracted from deep wells and boreholes and from unreliable pumps, thereby requiring water users to walk for lengthy distances and queuing for long periods to obtain an adequate supply of water. Moreover, groundwater resources in most of Zimbabwe are in a state of decline, and with increasing pressure from population growth and climate change, alternative water sources are required. As an alternative to the low yielding and unreliable groundwater aquifers and the limited availability of surface water resources, many communities in the semi-arid regions of south-western Zimbabwe have found the alluvial aquifers of ephemeral rivers to be a viable alternative source of water. To ensure that this water resource is not over-abstracted to the detriment of rural communities depending on it, sustainable management of the alluvial aquifers of ephemeral rivers is required. Hence, an understanding of the hydrological processes of an alluvial aquifer is a basic requirement for their sustainable management. The development of a hydrological model aimed at improving our understanding of such river systems is presented and then used to assess the size of the water resource. The second part of the talk will present research results on the analysis of the vulnerability and resilience of water supply systems in Scotland to climate change and current applications of this methodology in agricultural catchments in Spain with the aim of inviting research collaborations on the influence of climate variability and change on water resources.

Bio: Dr Alexandre Gagnon is a Geographer by training with expertise in Climatology and Hydrology. He completed an undergraduate degree in Physical Geography at Concordia University, a M.Sc. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, and then did a PhD in Physical Geography at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining the University of the West of Scotland, Dr Gagnon held postdoctoral positions at the Environmental Research Institute of the University of the Highlands and Islands, the University of Liverpool, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego.  Dr Gagnon’s research interests range from understanding the temporal and spatial patterns of climate variability to vulnerability, resilience and adaptation to climate change. His research aims to understand climate change and variability and their impacts on society, and he is particularly interested in the connections between climate and hydrology, notably the impacts of climate change on water resources.