The WATERS Network Science, Education and Design Strategy

The WATer and Environmental Research Systems (WATERS) Network is an environmental observatory initiative developed in response to community planning over the past 10 years that brings together scientists and engineers from three research communities (environmental engineering and science, hydrologic and related Earth sciences, and social, behavioral and economic science) to focus on the complex interrelationships involved in the water cycle in an integrated and comprehensive manner. Over the past decades we have made great progress in developing understanding of water processes within individual disciplines at various scales. However, issues of linkage and integration at different scales across disciplines, and between human and natural systems, have not been adequately addressed. The grand challenge for the WATERS Network is thus to understand the coupling and scale dependence of natural and human processes involved in the water cycle and the water environment. This will provide a knowledge base for design of engineered systems and policy actions to facilitate more sustainable use of water. The WATERS Network design team has prepared a comprehensive draft science, engineering and design strategy document that is currently open for community review and comment. This presentation will review the SEDS document, summarize the current state of planning for the WATERS Network, and describe the approach being taken in the design of the WATERS Network. The WATERS Network website is www.watersnet.org