Water Resources Podcast
The Water Resources Podcast features interviews with experts on water resource challenges related to climate, such as droughts and floods, and overexploitation by humans. It explores potential solutions using satellite and ground-based monitoring, and global to regional modeling. The podcast is hosted by Bridget Scanlon from the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. It is produced in partnership with the National Academy of Engineering and supported by the Fisher Foundation.
Episodes
Challenges for Managing Water Resources in Chile
Matías Taucare discusses various challenges, including megadrought since 2010 and groundwater over exploitation in Chile since 1990.
Managing Produced Water in the Texas Permian Basin Will Remain a Long-Term Challenge
Katie Smye talks about advanced modeling and satellite-based monitoring for tracking produced water issues in the Permian Basin.
Assessing Potential for Beneficial Use of Produced Water in the Texas Permian Basin
Shane Walker discusses advances in treating produced water for beneficial uses, including surface discharge and land application.
Sustainable Groundwater Management in the North China Plain
Wolfgang Kinzelbach is a Professor Emeritus of Hydromechanics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich (Switzerland). His research focused on many aspects of hydrogeology, including modeling and monitoring of water quantity and quality. This podcast focuses on his work in China, including the North China Plain and the Tarim Basin.
Reservoir Evaporation Monitoring, Drought Index: Texas to Global Scales
Huilin Gao discusses advances in reservoir monitoring using models and new remote sensing, providing daily evaporation rates for Texas, western U.S., and global scales.
Floods, Droughts, and Data: How Satellites Are Changing Hydrology
Augusto Getirana discusses global flooding in 2025, the new SWOT satellite, advances in NASA modeling and flood work in Brazil.
Water-Electricity Nexus in the Western U.S.
Nathalie Voisin discusses water-electricity interconnection, highlighting hydropower, hydropower droughts, grid reliability, and future of water-energy management.
Hydroclimatic Trends in the Western U.S.
Dennis Lettenmaier discusses trends in snow, flooding, and drought in the Western U.S. with a focus on the Colorado River Basin.
Tracking Water from Space: Tibetan Plateau, Mekong Basin, and North China Plain
Di Long discusses his research on the water resources in the Tibetan Plateau Asian Water Tower, reservoirs in the Mekong Basin, and water storage recovery in the North China Plain.
Monitoring Global Land Subsidence and Impacts
Manoo Shirzaei discusses land subsidence in many regions globally, including Iran, California, Arizona, and U.S. Coast based on satellite data.
Recent Advances in AI/ML with Applications in Earth Sciences and Hydrology
Alex Sun discusses the evolution of AI/ML over the past decades and resources for hydrology.
Agricultural Production in the Ukraine and Western Russia
Sergii Skakun discusses historical, current, and projected future wheat production in the Ukraine and Russia using satellite date and modelling.
Updates on GRACE Satellite Missions and Applications for Flooding
Jürgen Kusche discusses advances in GRACE satellites, applications for flood monitoring, and data assimilation with global hydrology models.
Increasing Resilience of Water Resources in San Antonio, Texas
Karen Guz discusses water conservation and increasing supplies to meet the rising water needs for population growth and droughts in San Antonio.
Floods and Droughts in Texas
John Nielsen-Gammon discusses climate extremes, including the July 4th flooding and 2011 drought, with insights into communicating risk.
Central Texas Flooding and Fatalities
Hatim Sharif discusses recent central Texas flooding in Kerr County and San Antonio and flood fatalities.
Soil Health
Nima Shokri discusses the importance of global soil health and its impacts on water resources, food security and sustainable development.
South African Lighthouse of Hope from Nature-Based Wastewater Treatment
Kevin Winter discusses nature-based approaches to treating informal settlement discharge for use in agriculture and other sectors.
Drought and Flood Impacts on US-Mexico Water Resources
Randy Hanson discusses climate extremes in the Rio Conchos and the importance of conjunctively managing surface water and groundwater.
Increasing Water Consumption in Data Centers Amplifies Local Water Scarcity
Landon Marston discusses rising water intensity of large data centers, resulting in a notable impact on local water demand.
Tracking Recent Conflict in Gaza, Ukraine, and Uganda using Satellites
Jamon Van Den Hoek discusses mapping real-time conflict using satellites and ground-truthing with journalists.
Water Bankruptcy
Kaveh Madani uses a bank analogy to describe water resources management with surface water as checking and groundwater as savings accounts and overexploitation leading to bankruptcy.
Human and Climate Drivers of Global Models with Machine Learning
Yadu Pokhrel describes the application of global hydrologic modeling with machine learning to understand water resources dynamics.
Water Markets and their Transformational Potential in Texas
Todd Votteler discusses the evolution of water markets in Texas, focusing on the Rio Grande and San Antonio basins.
Groundwater and Surface water challenges in Indus Basin Irrigation System, Pakistan
Azeem Shah talks about water issues in Pakistan, including transboundary issues, solar irrigation, and improving data for more sustainable management of water resources.
Rising Global Water Conflicts
David Michel discusses rising global water conflicts, with examples in Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, the Middle East, and Sahel regions.
Compounding Impacts of Climate Extremes: Floods, Droughts, and Wildfires
Amir AghaKouchak discusses increased risks from compound floods, droughts, and wildfires with examples from Los Angeles, and other regions globally.
The Groundwater Resources for Drought Resilience in Urban Areas of Brazil
Ricardo Hirata discusses the role of groundwater in Brazil, emphasizing urban regions and their resilience to drought.
Fragile Water Grids: Stories from Ukraine, Syria, and East Africa
Mario Bianco discusses water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance in conflict regions (Ukraine, Syria) and East Africa.
Linkages Between Groundwater and Irrigated Agriculture Focusing on California
Thomas Harter discusses relationships between irrigated agriculture and groundwater considering water quantity and quality in the California Central Valley.
Beyond Cape Town Day Zero: Strategies to Increase Water Resilience
Dale Barrow discusses increases in groundwater development and other strategies to enhance water resilience in Cape Town.
Managing Hurricanes, Floods, and Droughts in Texas and SE U.S.
Gordon Wells discusses the application of satellite and modeling data to track hurricanes, floods, and droughts for emergency management.
Groundwater Resources in Brazil and Potential for Global Food Production
Edson Wendland describes major aquifers in Brazil and potential expansion of irrigation for global food production.
Evaluation of PFAS Regulations
Joe Cotruvo describes PFAS compounds, sources and impacts along with U.S. PFAS regulations compared with other regions globally
Sustainable Food and Water Systems
Kyle Davis discusses sustainable food production emphasizing global irrigation mapping.
Assessing Irrigation Technologies and Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nick Brozovic talks about his work with communities in Sub-Saharan Africa through the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute.
Water Resources in Saudi Arabia with Linkages to Energy and Food
Yoshi Wada discusses how energy access can resolve water issues through desalination and water reuse.
Building Water Resilience Amid Intensifying Droughts
Newsha Ajami discusses changes in water use in urban areas in Californialinked to energy efficiency and droughts.
Peter Gleick and The Three Ages of Water
Peter Gleick discusses his latest book, The Three Ages of Water: PrehistoricPast, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future.
Approaches to Adapting Water Management in Jordan
Maysoon Al-Zoubi discusses water stresses in Jordan linked to refugee influx and climate extremes with various proposed solutions.
Potential for Wastewater Reuse to Address Water Shortages in California
Doug Owen talks about advances in wastewater reuse over the past decades with an emphasis on potable reuse in San Diego.
Improving Access to Water for Tens of Millions of People in East Africa and South Asia
Rob Hope discusses REACH and Uptime programs that are designed to improve water access for the poor in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh.
Approaches to Sustainable Management of Global Water Resources
Brian Richter talks about his recent work on the Colorado River, global environmental flows, and sustainable water management.
Update on Groundwater Sustainability and Land Subsidence in California’s Central Valley
Claudia Faunt describes the new Central Valley Hydrologic Model (CVHM) highlighting the system response to droughts and floods and groundwater pumping and land subsidence from 1962 to 2019.
Increasing Resilience of Water Resources Management in New Zealand
Cath Moore describes airborne geophysics, physical and chemical monitoring, and modeling approaches to understand water resource challenges in New Zealand.
Locating Groundwater Wells in Refugee Camps in Eastern Chad using Near-Surface Geophysics
Paul Bauman talks about his recent trip to Eastern Chad to locate groundwater wells in new and expanding camps hosting refugees from neighboring Sudan.
Linking Water Resource Assessments and Policy to Develop Solutions in India
Veena Srinivasan talks about water resource challenges in southern India and linkages to suitable policies considering climate extremes.
Water: Casualty of War and Potential Instrument for Peace
Aaron Wolf discusses the importance of transboundary water issues globally, catastrophic impacts of recent wars on water infrastructure, and potential role of water in conflict resolution
Role of Global Food Production in Managing Water Issues in Low-income Countries
Claudia Ringler discusses the role of crop breeding, trade and other strategies for improving water management to enhance food and water security.
Role of Natural Climate Variability vs Climate Change in California
Ruby Leung discusses natural climate variability versus climate change, wildfires, atmospheric rivers, and stakeholder engagement in California.
Global Water and Nitrogen Scarcity and Role of Trade
Junguo Liu discusses global water scarcity and nitrogen scarcity and role of virtual water and nitrogen transport through commodity trade.
Advances in Modeling Storm Surge and Compound Flooding for Disaster Management
Clint Dawson discusses advances in ADCIRC modeling of storm surge over past two decades to support hindcasting and forecasting for disaster management. His most recent research focuses on compound flooding applications.
Physics-informed Machine Learning for Discovering Knowledge in Hydrology
Chaopeng Shen describes various types of machine learning with applications linked to traditional process based modeling in hydrology.
GRACE Satellites Advance Understanding of Global Hydrology
Matt Rodell describes how the GRACE satellites track changes in Terrestrial Water Storage in response to droughts, floods, and climate change.
Nature Based Solutions in Hydrology
Kate Brauman discusses nature-based solutions, their applications in hydrology in different regions globally, and comparisons with traditional engineering infrastructure.
A Hybrid Green-Gray Path to Increasing Resilience of Global Water Resources
Charlie Vorosmarty discusses mapping human water security and biodiversity threats and potential green/gray solutions that integrate nature based and traditional engineering approaches.
Use of Atmospheric River Data to Improve Water Resource Management
Marty Ralph discusses atmospheric rivers and how we can optimize them to improve water resources management within the context of droughts and floods through Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations.
Linkages between Global Water Scarcity, Food Production, and Climate Change
Lorenzo Rosa talks about green, blue, and economic water scarcity related to food production considering climate change and potential solutions to scarcity.
Groundwater Resources Management in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa
In this podcast, Seifu discusses challenges to groundwater resources management in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa related to droughts and floods and potential for conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water for more sustainable development.
Assessing the Barriers to Groundwater Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Jude Cobbing discusses the water resources in Sub-Saharan Africa, the barriers to development, including financing, drilling and pumping technologies, and energy access, and approaches to addressing these barriers as shown in South Africa.
Assessing Global Climate Risks for the Reinsurance Industry and Beyond
Megan Hart discusses risks related to natural hazards (e.g., floods, droughts, earthquakes) and approaches to managing those risks within the context of climate change.
Managing China’s Water Scarcity and Excess
Chunmiao Zheng discusses China’s Water Challenges, including water scarcity in the north and water excess in the south, transfer from south to north, widespread water pollution and governance.
Addressing Groundwater Scarcity and Arsenic Pollution with Potential Solutions in India
Abhijit discusses overexploitation of groundwater resources and arsenic contamination with potential solutions using managed aquifer recharge and stratified drilling to minimize arsenic exposure.
Evolution of Global Hydrologic Modeling and Methods for Transdisciplinary Risk Management
Petra Döll discusses the evolution of global hydrologic modeling, especially WaterGAP, as well as transdisciplinary knowledge integration in participatory processes in water and risk management.
Role of Groundwater in Developing Countries in the World Bank
Francois Bertone and Lucy Lytton discuss the recent World Bank report on The Hidden Wealth of Nations, The Economics of Groundwater in Times of Climate Change.
Protection of Groundwater and Wetland Ecosystems in Ireland and linkages to the Arts?
Laurence Gill assesses the importance of groundwater in rural Ireland, fingerprinting pollution sources from agriculture and humans, and using music to translate water flow in karst systems
Impacts of Global Water Quality on Water Scarcity and Potential Solutions
Michelle van Vliet discusses regional and global surface water quality, how water quality affects water scarcity, and potential solutions based on wastewater reuse and seawater desalination.
Groundwater Sustainability with Texas Focus
Robert Mace discusses groundwater sustainability issues, considering long-term evolution of different aquifers (Ogallala, Edwards, Trinity) with implications for future management.
European and Global Flooding: Role of Climate, Land Use, and Infrastructure
Günter Blöschl discusses recent flooding in Europe, causes of flooding, including climate change and land use change, engineering and nature-based solutions to reduce flood risk, and social hydrology aspects.
Understanding the Origin of Atmospheric Rivers in the Southwest US
Mike Dettinger discusses the origin and evolution of atmospheric rivers and their importance in managing reservoir storage in the Southwest US.
Groundwater Issues and Potential Solutions in the Southwest United States
Bill Alley discusses groundwater scarcity issues in Arizona and California, evolving approaches to groundwater governance, and proposed solutions through conjunctive management of surface water and groundwater, managed aquifer recharge, wastewater reuse and desalination.
Bengal Water Machine
Mohammad Shamsudduha (Shams) discusses the Bengal Water Machine, where seasonal groundwater depletion from irrigation creates space for increased recharge during summer monsoons in Bangladesh, capturing up to 90 km3 over 30 years.
Achieving Global Development Goals
Karen Villholth discusses importance of groundwater in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to water and food security with particular emphasis in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Groundwater Resilience to Climate Extremes/Change in Tropical Africa
Richard Taylor discusses linkages between rainfall extremes related to ENSO and episodic groundwater recharge, and how amplification of rainfall extremes under climate change may increase groundwater resources in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Applying Geophysics to Explore and Develop Groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa
Paul Bauman discusses the use of geophysics to improve groundwater development in (semi)arid and underserviced regions in Sub-Saharan Africa. He trains communities and applies these approaches to increase access to water resources in refugee camps and villages.
Food Supply Chains and Water Resources
Megan Konar talks about linkages between global food trade and climate extremes (droughts and floods) and groundwater over-exploitation. The future outlook for food security seems good as the global complex food trade network is inherently stable. The transcript for this episode is available on the official Water Resources Website.
Managing Extremes in Australia
Quentin Grafton talks about floods and droughts in Australia and approaches to managing these extremes.
Atmospheric Rivers in California
Mike Dettinger talks about recent atmospheric rivers in California this past winter and their role in increasing rainfall, snowpack, reservoir storage and mitigating drought.
Groundwater and Surface Water: A Single Resource
Lenny Konikow is the Editor Editor-in-Chief of Groundwater journal and Emeritus Scientist with U.S. Geological Survey following 42-year career as a research hydrologist. His research focuses on groundwater – surface water interactions and local and global water budgets. The transcript for this episode is available at the Water Resources Podcast official website.
Water Issues in India and Africa
Alan MacDonald describes a recent study quantifying increases in groundwater storage in NW India and Central Pakistan over much of the last century, and also the potential for groundwater to support development in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. The transcript for this episode is available at the Water Resources Podcast official website.
Recommended
TED Talks Daily
Pod Save America
Dateline NBC
صداستان: ساعتی با موسیقی
Becoming: HER with Nikki Spoelstra
Exposing Workplace Bullying
Everyday AI Made Simple - AI For Everyday Tasks
FemTech Focus
Not Too Sensitive - Empowering Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) To Own Their Sensitivity
Mother Daughter Relationship Show
Skin Deep MDs with Dr. Mamina Turegano, Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky and Dr. Jenny Liu
girl talk 🎧🫧
