Water characteristic curves and water status indicator |
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Authors: | Munther J Haddadin |
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Affiliation: | Oregon State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Central Florida and Independent Consultant |
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Abstract: | This paper attempts to introduce specific analytical meanings for the frequently used terms “water stress” (Falkenmark 1992 Falkenmark, M. and Widstrand, C. 1992. Population and water resources: a delicate balance. Population Bulletin, 47(3): 1–36. PubMed] , Google Scholar], Vorosmarty et al. 2000 Vorosmarty, C. J. 2000. Global water resources: vulnerability from climate change and population growth. Science, 289: 284–288. Crossref], PubMed], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar], 2005 Vorosmarty, C. J. 2005. Geospatial indicators of emerging water stress: an application to Africa. AMBIO, 34(3): 230–236. Crossref], PubMed], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]) and “water strain” (Haddadin 2007 Haddadin, M. J. 2007. Quantification and significance of shadow water in semi arid countries. Water Policy, 9: 435–456. Crossref], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]) by drawing an analogy from the science of engineering mechanics. It introduces “water characteristic curves” and a “water modulus” that defines the status of indigenous water of a given country. Compared to other tools that have been introduced to reflect the “water footprint” of a country (Hoekstra and Chapagain 2008 Hoekstra, A. Y. and Chapagain, A. K. 2008. Globalization of water: sharing the planet's freshwater resources, Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 53–65, Chapter 6. Google Scholar]), the water modulus is different in approach and meaning and is more reflective of the adequacy of indigenous water resources of countries. |
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Keywords: | water stress water strain water equilibrium water modulus shadow water |
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