The Water Resources Podcast

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The Water Resources Podcast is designed to conduct interviews with experts to discuss challenges with water resources related to climate, such as droughts and floods, and overexploitation by humans. Potential solutions to these challenges are also discussed. Regions covered range from local to global scale, and approaches considered include satellite and ground-based monitoring, and global to regional modeling. The podcast is hosted by Bridget Scanlon, Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin. The Water Resources Podcast is a production of the Bureau of Economic Geology, The Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin in partnership with the National Academy of Engineering. The podcast is supported by the Fisher Foundation.

Bridget Scanlon


    • Jan 25, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 50m AVG DURATION
    • 25 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Water Resources Podcast

    Assessing the Barriers to Groundwater Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2024 50:07


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2024 51:13


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2023 53:36


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2023 53:11


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2023 50:12


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2023 50:51


    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?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 48:52


     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

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2023 43:28


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2023 54:46


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 48:54


    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.

    Importance of Seawater Desalination and Wastewater Reuse in Israel

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2023 50:14


    Noam Weisbrod discusses the role of seawater desalination and wastewater reuse as water sources for potable water and irrigation water in Israel.

    Understanding the Origin of Atmospheric Rivers in the Southwest US

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2023 64:06


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 53:11


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2023 48:29


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2023 40:40


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2023 55:58


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2023 53:59


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 49:59


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2023 49:10


    Quentin Grafton talks about floods and droughts in Australia and approaches to managing these extremes.

    Atmospheric Rivers in California

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2023 46:23


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2023 49:50


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2023 44:08


    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.

    Impacts of Global Food Trade on Water and Food Security

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2023 47:20


    Paolo D'Odorico describes the evolution of global food trade and impacts on water resources through virtual water transfers. The transcript for this episode is available at the Water Resources Podcast official website.

    Water Issues in Argentina

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2023


    Esteban Jobbagy discusses the impacts of agricultural expansion in Argentina causing rising groundwater levels and increased vulnerability to flooding. The transcript for this episode is available at the Water Resources Podcast official website. Esteban Jobbagy is a Senior Research Scientist at the Environmental Studies Group within the National University of San Luis, which is funded […]

    Drought Forecasting in East Africa

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2023


    Chris Funk talks about drought forecasting in East Africa, with the sixth consecutive drought projected for spring 2023. He describes their improved forecasting skill with up to 6-month forecasts allowing agencies to work together to prevent famines. The transcript for this episode is available on our website:wrp.beg.utexas.edu/episodes/drought-forecasting-in-east-africa Chris Funk is the Director of Climate Hazards […]

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