Prof. Dr. Petra Döll
Fachbereich Geowissenschaften/Geographie, Institut für Physische Geographie
Water resources under stress: Anthropogenic alterations of the global freshwater system
In the first GRADE Sustain lecture in 2016, Prof. Döll will present how to estimate past and future alterations of the global freshwater system and results of the global water resources and use model WaterGAP.
Water flows and water storage at and below the Earths’ land surface affect water availability for humans and ecosystems, result in hazards such as floods and affect atmospheric processes, sea level, and global biogeochemical cycles. They have been increasingly altered by human actions including emissions of greenhouse gases, land use, water abstractions and the construction of dams and dykes. Ecosystems suffer from these alterations, and in many regions, human development is constrained by water scarcity.