Medium and long term water resources modelling as a tool for planning and global change adaptation. Application to the Llobregat Basin (LIFE WATER CHANGE)

The WATER CHANGE project aimed to provide the tools and methodology necessary to model the impact of Global Change on water resources and infrastructure. Global change is defined as all the anthropic-related changes affecting directly or indirectly the water quantity and the water quality, influencing the sustainable management of the water resources in a river basin. Future scenarios aimed to cover both climatic and anthropogenic medium and long-term changes. Ultimately, the project sought to provide a means of adapting effectively to the global changes taking place and ensuring adequate quantity and quality of future water resources.
Specifically, the project aimed to (i) develop a methodology for medium and long-term modelling of water resources in a river basin, taking into account future scenarios of climate change, land use and water consumption, based on socio-economic evolution; (ii) develop a modelling system capable of predicting the evolution of water resources within a river basin, by connecting input data, models and output data, and allowing the user to visualize and analyse the results; (iii) apply the methodology and tool to a case study: the Llobregat river basin, which is highly affected by human activity; (iv) assess the impacts of global changes on water resources and associated infrastructures in the Llobregat basin and to determine the vulnerability of different sectors; and (v) propose appropriate adaptation measures for the case studied, based on an evaluation of their economic and environmental costs and benefits.