The water sector needs improved climate prediction and downscaling based on consistent grounds (IPCC 5th Assessment Report, 2013). There is also a need for near future weather scenarios and anticipation of their impacts in the water cycle together with risk management strategies. BINGO will provide demand-driven solutions for a number of specific climate-related challenges in particular for highly vulnerable water resources of strategic importance. Water managers and other stakeholders will then be provided with information on specific climate scenarios at the space/ time resolution fitting their needs, enabling them to act at various geographical levels (local, regional and European).
BINGO aims at reducing the uncertainty of climate predictions and developing response strategies to help society manage that uncertainty. An innovative approach consists of enrolling end-users from the start, identifying specific vulnerabilities, needs and concerns about future climate. BINGO is built around 7 research sites in Northern and Southern Europe, covering a representative range of climatic conditions as well as combinations of water systems and water pressures. They illustrate a variety of water cycles at local/regional scales in Europe over various timescales, as well as common problems, including floods and droughts; water quality pressured by CSO, agriculture and competing demands for water (urban/tourism; agriculture/food security; hydropower). To guarantee sound management strategies for future weather challenges, BINGO will develop and validate all solutions built by strong dynamic interaction of researchers with end-users and decision makers throughout the project. By creating such knowledge alliances, water managers and other stakeholders can share awareness of climate challenges, thus increasing the possibilities of collaboration in order to manage and better cope with future climate challenges.
I.A.CO contributed to WP3-WP7 for the Cyprus Research Site as follows:
- Work package 3: Integrated analysis of the water cycle: WP3 performs an integrated analysis of the water cycle for all six BINGO research sites, based on several hydrological, hydrodynamics and water quality models, in accordance to the specific conditions of each site and previous modelling.
- Work package 4: Assessment of the impacts of extreme weather events: assessment of impacts of climate change extreme events scenarios of droughts and floods at the research sites, based on the risk assessment procedure from ISO 31000.
- Work package 5: Developing risk treatment and adaptation strategies for extreme weather events: Develop specific risk management and adaptation strategies for each of the six research sites., produce an analysis of the economic and societal implication of the climate change induced impacts and of the proposed measures for each research site, provide support to decision-makers at local and regional level to better address policy and governance issues to cope with the expected impacts of climate change and extreme events and help them to plan the implementation of new/adapted measures to address expected impacts, develop methodologies to support and facilitate the more general applicability in situations, regions and communities beyond the research sites).
- Work package 6: Ensuring Excellence and Actionable Research: ensuring an effective participation of the different end users, water managers and decision makers in BINGO activities.
- Work package 7: Dissemination, communication and exploitation: disseminate and communicate project related information to the different target groups; ensure that the results of the project are exploited and have a lasting impact in Europe; and empower stakeholders to take up the project results.
