Project: Who has twised the tap? Bridging soil-plant-atmosphere dynamics with advanced EO data to address water accounting in the Mediterranean
| Acronym | TWISTT |
| Project Topic | In Mediterranean countries, the sustainable management of water in the face of scarcity and shortages is becoming increasingly complex. Water accounting, especially crucial during economic and environmental crises, provides essential insights into the hydrological cycle, user demand and infrastructure needs, facilitating better and more informed decision-making and governance. The TWISTT project (who TWIST the Tap?) is build upon four pillars: (i) an accurate mutli-scale spatio-temporal monitoring of all major water fluxes using Earth Observations (ii) innovative data assimilation and upscaling methods, including subsoil hydrological mapping using geophysics at the farm scale to relate and populate innovative physical energy and water balance models (iii) an enhance synergy between EO data and socio-economical model inputs and (iii) a multi-actors implication to build relevant scenarios and anticipate water governance during crisis time. The project will collaborate with partners who oversee field sites affected by crisis conditions due to climate change and external shocks but with varying local issues and irrigation managements policies. This includes a total of 4 pilot sites (Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, Spain). The consortium presents a balanced geographic representation across Mediterranean regions varying in climatic conditions, water distribution and management systems, crop types, and socio-economic factors, but also in their level of adoption of new technologies. Selecting these field sites showcases our interest in both local-scale irrigation systems and broader geographical areas like river basins, encompassing natural ecosystems for sustainability evaluation/validation and the creation of new socio-economical indicators. Indeed, these field sites will serve as hubs for multi-actor networks, including farmers, water users' associations, ,river basin authorities and researchers from academia. This will facilitate access to agro-hydrological data and models, allowing for engagement during dedicated workshops with a global audience to improve water decision-making and governance. |
| Network | PRIMA |
| Call | Section 2 – Multi-topic 2024 |