The Princeton Water Initiative

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WaterScarcity

Though water constitutes 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, it is our most endangered natural resource.

The problems that stem fromwater shortages—poverty, disease,famine, economic decline, political instability, dwindling wildlife, loss of biodiversity—have dire consequences that transcend national boundaries. No single discipline or profession can solve this multifaceted problem.

Princeton University has long been renowned for its deep strengths across the sciences, social sciences, international policy, and engineering. Its scholars and researchers are equipped to take on the water-related challenges that are made ever more urgent by converging trends: changing climate and rainfall patterns; intensified agricultural practices in semi-arid and tropical regions; and rapidly increasing urbanization.

Setting a more sustainable path requires a far better understanding of these intertwined issues. Princeton’s team can provide thatunderstanding, and chart a courseto solutions.

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY IS

UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO ADDRESS

ONE OF TODAY’S MOST PRESSING

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:

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ImpactThe Princeton Water Initiative brings together an unparalleled collection of scholars and teachersto face one of the most significant challenges of this century.

Investment in this critical venture will

• accelerate the pace of discovery and innovation

• leverage links with industry, government, NGOs, and other educational institutions

• lead to scientifically sound, economically viable solutions

• prepare new generations of environmentally aware leaders for this nation and all nations

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Patterns of precipitation are changing, with a trend toward more frequent extreme rainfalls and droughts. The implications are huge: flooding causes death and economic hardship; drought threatens food security and increases strife worldwide. The links between climate change and weather, however, are deeply complex, making it difficult to understand hazards associated with drought and flood. Ongoing collaborations with the government-operated Geophysical FluidDynamics Laboratory and Princeton University experts in climate science, hydrology, engineering, and risk assessment are leading to improved models and new courses of action.

What are the risks of increased flooding and drought?

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Places where Princeton researchers are examining flooding and drought

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Princeton students analyze global water conditions in Professor James Smith’s laboratory.

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A study by Princeton architecture professor Guy Nordenson, Catherine Seavitt *96, and Adam Yarinsky *87 led to proposed measures to mitigate rising seas in New York Harbor, including an artificial reef made of subway cars.

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China and other rapidly growing areas are pushing forward with large-scale urbanization, causing unsustainable levels of water use and contaminating water resources. Shortages of water, in turn, limit industrial growth and threaten public health. The issues are as much political, economic, and cultural as technological. Teams at Princeton are addressing the challenges of sustainable development in urbanizing regions.

How can we address the challenges of rapid urbanization and escalating use of water?

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Places where Princeton researchers are addressing the damage urbanization does to water resources

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Urbanization in China2

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Workers prepare to bore a hole to access water in Delhi, India.

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Deforestation in South America is leading to large-scale changes in ecosystems. Globally, increased tensions are emerging between the needs to conserve land for forests and to use land—and water—for food production. These conflicts are linked to both water quantity and quality, as well as to the role forests play in mitigating flood hazards. Groups of Princetonresearchers seek to balance the long-term health of ecosystems with the ever-increasing human demand for water, food, and energy.

How does deforestation affect water supplies?

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Places where Princeton researchers are exploring the effects of deforestation on ecosystems

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The aftermath of mining in South America

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Aerial view of destruction in the Brazilian Amazon

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The African continent, particularly its semi-arid regions, is a crucible for understanding the central roleof water in society. Africa will soonexperience dramatic population growth, much of it in regions thathave limited water. Princeton ecologists, engineers, and international policy experts are collaborating on innovative ways to foster better practices for water management in Africa.

Can people thrive in water-limited ecosystems?

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Places where Princeton researchers are working on water management in arid regions

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Princeton researchers in central Kenya combined hydrology, ecology, and geophysics to examine the proliferation of a plant that was preventing livestock from grazing. Their work is part of an effort to help the local community meet a growing demand for food.

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Soil moisture probes and rain gauges installed on a family farm in eastern Zambia allow Princeton researchers to collect data on climate conditions. This data, along with survey research, helps engineers and social scientists integrate climate variability with human factors to improve farming practices and crop yields.

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Agriculture demands more than twice as much fresh water as all other domestic and industrial usescombined. It is also one of the biggestsources of water contamination. In the American West, tensions have emerged over diverting water to irrigation or to cities. In the Gulf of Mexico, more than 6,000 square miles have been turned into a “dead zone” by agricultural pollutants washing down the Mississippi River. Research groups at Princeton are addressing critical questions at the intersection of agriculture and water. Studies of “virtual water trade” quantify at a global level how waterresources are being distributed among nations, while drought experts seek to prevent agricultural calamities.Other researchers investigate how to avoid and mitigate pollution caused by farming. With the emerging growth of agriculture for fuel, the need for solutions is urgent.

Do we have enough water to feed the world? 5

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Places where Princeton researchers are studying the intersection of agriculture and water

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Soil erosion furrows on African hillside

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Polluted stream between agricultural fields 5

TeamMICHAEL CELIA *79 *83Theodora Shelton Pitney Professor of Environmental Studies

At first glance, Professor Celia’swork might appear to be aboutthe energy sector and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. He studies carbonsequestration, a process for capturing carbon dioxide from power plants and injecting it deep underground.As with many energy issues, however, Celia points out that the major questions come down to water resources. Even though the rock formations that would hold sequestered carbon are a half mile or more underground, it is possible that the injection process could force salt water and other contaminants upward into near-surface aquifers. Celia, an expert in hydrology, is studying whether similar calculations could apply to water issues associated with hydraulic fracturing.

IGNACIO RODRIGUEZ-ITURBEJames S. McDonnell Distinguished

University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor Rodriguez-Iturbe, a recipient of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, has received international attention for his work on “virtual water trade,” a method of analyzingthe redistribution of water thatoccurs when nations trade crops and other goods. He and his colleagues are examining how this trade will shift as the climate changes. Early findings suggest that trade in agricultural products will drive more efficient use of water and could help mitigate the effects of global warming. Rodriguez-Iturbe is considered one of the fathers of ecohydrology, a field thatintegrates the hydrologicaland ecological sciences. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering as well as other scientific academies throughout the world.

NING LIN *10Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Months before Hurricane Sandydevastated the New York-NewJersey coast, Professor Lin and her colleagues published apaper emphasizing the region’svulnerability and predictingthat so-called “100-year” stormsurges will soon occur every3 to 20 years. The study, whichcaught the attention of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, reflects the high-impact, cross-disciplinary work that Lin has pursued since earning her PhD in Princeton’s water program. A recent paper turns new understanding of increased flood risks into comprehensive estimates of annual damage to New York buildings, findings that will inform disaster management officials and the insurance industry.

KELLY CAYLORAssistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Just as cell phone networks have allowed developing nations to “leapfrog” into the digital age, networks of tiny wireless sensors promise to enable sustainable developmentand water use in sub-Saharan Africa. Working with partners in Africa, Professor Caylor plansto deploy and test a network that will help agricultural management authorities prepare for and respond to droughts and food scarcity. Caylor is the recipient of several early-career awards for exceptional teaching and research.

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JAMES SMITHProfessor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Chair, Department of Civil

and Environmental Engineering

Professor Smith has proven adept at building the collaborative, multidisciplinary teams required to address complex water issues, from Beijing to Baltimore. Recently, he worked with scientists from the government-operated Geophysical Fluid DynamicsLaboratory to provide new insights on hurricane frequencyin current and future climates.With a mix of field research and mathematical analysis, Smith is shedding light on the interplay of storms, urban landscapes, and water quality. He leads the Department of Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering, which has a worldwide reputation for its influential research on water resources.

MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and

International Affairs

One of the most respected and well-known voices on issues of climate change, Professor Oppenheimer combines rigorous science with action-oriented pragmatism. He serves as the coordinating lead author of theupcoming Fifth Assessment Report of the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change, and was among the IPCC authors who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. In additionto examining links between water and storm issues, Oppenheimer studies the effect of greenhouse warming on ecosystems, ice sheets, and sea level.

ERIC WOODSusan Dod Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering;

Director, Program in Environmental Engineering and Water Resources

Professor Wood is one of the world’s leading authorities on the links between climate change and drought. Unafraid tochallenge conventional wisdom,Wood and his colleagues showed in a recent paper that the incidence of drought has not increased on an overall global basis over the last 50 years, although patterns of drought have shifted and may intensify in coming decades. Turning understanding into action, they recently created and deployed a system for early detection and monitoring of drought conditions in Africa. Their system allows African researchers to expand and refine the monitoring program,providing much-needed information to agricultural planners and disaster relief officials.

GUY NORDENSON Professor of Architecture

Professor Nordenson has emerged as one of the most influential thinkers on the question of how coastal citiesshould respond to storm surgesand flooding. An engineer who teaches in the School of Architecture, Nordenson leads a collaboration whose work spans projects ranging from atmospheric science to city planning. His “On the Water”studies of New York waterwayshave inspired multiple exhibits, including one at the Museum of Modern Art. Working also in Shanghai, China, and the Mississippi Delta, Nordenson seeks to shift cities’ emergencyplans toward “controlled flooding,” which minimizes damage from inevitable floods, as opposed to conventional “flood control,” which attempts to stop all flood waters.

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October 15, 2011 – NBC News

Mexico’s newestexport to US: Water

March 26, 2013 – The New York Times

New Mexico Farmers Seek ‘Priority Call’ as DroughtPersists

March 20, 2013 – The New York Times

Justices Back Loggers in Water Runoff Case

March 22, 2013 – The Guardian

Global development podcast: water, water everywhere?

March 22, 2013 – The Wall Street Journal

ECO:nomics: Water Is the Next Scarce Resource

March 21, 2013 – The Wall Street Journal

Global Warming Exacerbates Everything fromWater Availability to Threat of Nuclear Conflict

March 15, 2013 – The Guardian

Talk point: is water a commodity or a human right?

March 12, 2013 – The New York Times

Rains or Not, India Is Falling Short on Drinkable Water

March 13, 2013 – PBS News Hour

Protecting Americans From Danger in the Drinking Water

March 7, 2013 – The New York Times

As Fracking Increases, So DoFears About Water Supply

February 28, 2013 – The New York Times

In California, What Price Water?