About WATER4CAST 2.0
WATER4CAST 2.0
The IIAMA-UPV (Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering) de la Universitat Politècnica de València is carrying out the project Enhanced Integrated Multiscale Forecasting System for Agriculture, Water and the Environment, with the aim of improving the adaptive capacity of the Júcar system to new standards arising from the impact of climate change.
The research is funded by the “Prometeo for Excellence Research Groups PROMETEO 2024” program of the Valencian Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment, and is coordinated by researchers Manuel Pulido and Félix Francés.
Visual decision support system
Features
- GIS-based viewer displaying forecasts at pixel, river segment, UDA (Water Demand Unit), and parcel level.
- Three forecasting alternatives: short-term, sub-seasonal, and seasonal.
Objectives
Develop an innovative decision-support tool for the Júcar system, integrating meteorological, ecohydrological, agronomic, environmental, and water resource management forecasts.
Anticipation periods ranging from 15 days to 7 months (short-term & seasonal). This tool will incorporate indicators and thresholds to identify extreme events (Droughts and Wildfires) in advance.
Meteorological Forecast
Features:
Three types of predictions:
- Short-term (7–15 days): Forecasts from the GFS model.
- Sub-seasonal (56 days): Forecasts from the CFS project.
- Seasonal (6–7 months): Forecasts from ECMWF-Copernicus C3S.
Variables: Precipitation, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, solar radiation, wind. Post-processed using artificial intelligence.
Ecohydrological Forecast
Features:
Variables: Hydrological inflows, streamflow, soil moisture.
Daily time scale and 250 m spatial resolution. Multi-objective calibration incorporating remote sensing data. Incorporation of error models for the predictions.
Agronomic Forecast
Features
Variables: Potential evapotranspiration (ET₀), irrigation requirements, crop yield.
Irrigation needs are calculated using remote sensing data, meteorological forecasts, and ET₀ estimates. Latent heat is computed using the Surface Energy Balance (SEB).
Fish Habitat Forecast
Features
Variables: Potential usable habitat for native fish species.
Update of existing habitat models in the Júcar River Basin.
Prediction of forced habitat using hydrological forecasts with habitat models.
This information will only be available to the Júcar River Basin Authority (CHJ) .
System Management Forecast
Features
Variables: Stored volumes, reservoir releases, supply to demands.
This information will only be available to the Júcar River Basin Authority (CHJ) .
Meteorological
Ecohydrological
Agronomics
Environmental
Water resource management
Project Phases
The project will be carried out over three years. To ensure an efficient implementation of the planned R&D+i activities, the project has been divided into 8 work packages: 1 dedicated to coordination and management (WP1), 6 focused on R&D+i (WP2 to WP7), and a final work package devoted to communication, dissemination, and exploitation (WP8).
The R&D+i work packages are structured according to each component of the Visual Decision Support System (VDSS): meteorological forecasting, ecohydrological forecasting, agronomic forecasting, fish habitat forecasting (environmental), and reservoir management forecasting; plus one work package aimed at developing the VDSS by integrating all these components.
WP2 – Meteorological forecasts
The objective of this work package is to provide the meteorological forecasts that will be used as input data for the other work packages. For each type of forecast, this work package will:
- Download predictions from the corresponding forecasting services.
- Develop the necessary post-processing methods to adjust them to local climatology.
- Analyze and communicate insights to the VDSS and to the other work packages carrying out predictions.
WP3 - Ecohydrological Forecast
In this WP we will implement the distributed TETIS model in the Júcar River Basin with two different input scenarios:
- Meteorological data from the past to obtain the initial condition in the present, and with future meteorological forecasts.
- A significant part of this work package will also be the development and implementation of the error model coupled to TETIS, which will provide the uncertainty of the predictions.
WP4 - Agricultural forecast
The main objective is to use images obtained from different remote sensing platforms to improve the estimation of water requirements, together with meteorological forecasts and the detection of water stress.
- Use of time series for crop classification.
- Calculation of vegetation indices to feed the irrigation scheduling model for different crops.
- Assimilation of meteorological forecasts provided by different weather services into the developed data model.
- Simulation of the water balance using agro-hydrological models fed by satellite imagery.
Scaling of results to different water management scales.
WP5 - Fish habitat prediction
The general objective of this WP is to develop multivariate habitat suitability models for the main Mediterranean fish species grouped by traits, calibrated and validated in different types of Mediterranean rivers, for the assessment of habitat under water management alternatives and future scenarios. The specific objectives are:
- To collect univariate and multivariate habitat suitability models for fish at microhabitat and mesohabitat scales developed in Mediterranean basins, and classify them according to species traits and life stages.
- To obtain data on the use and availability of microhabitats for Mediterranean species and specific life stages where data or model deficiencies have been identified.
- To develop, calibrate and validate microhabitat suitability models for species and life stages grouped by traits, validated in different Mediterranean rivers.
WP6 – Reservoir management forecasting
This work package will establish the water resource system model that will be used to provide predictions on management decisions for the Júcar River system, in accordance with current operational rules. The steps to achieve this will be:
- Develop a water resource management model for the Júcar River system.
- Reproduce the current operational rules of the Júcar River system.
WP7 - Development of VDSS (Visualization and Decision Support System)
The objective of this work package is to interconnect all the models and forecasts developed in WP2 to WP6, implementing the modeling chain described in the concept, and to develop the final product of WATER4CAST 2.0.
- Implement the interconnections between models to provide integrated forecasts for the Júcar River Basin.
- Develop the public and restricted areas of the Visualization and Decision Support System.
WATER4CAST 2.0
Project funded by:
The project Enhanced Integrated Multiscale Forecasting System for Agriculture, Water and the Environment (WATER4CAST 2.0) has been funded by the Programa para la promoción de la investigación científica, el desarrollo tecnológico y la innovación en la Comunitat Valenciana para grupos de investigación de excelencia, PROMETEO 2024 - CIPROM/2023/000, from the Conselleria de Educación, Cultura, Universidades y Empleo. Generatitat Valenciana.
Project coordination by:
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