About Us

Our Mission

        Under the immense ecological strains presented by climate change, rapid population growth and increasing global industrialization, sustainable management of water resources becomes a key factor in maintaining the health of the planet. While technological advancements play an important role in increasing the efficiency of our water use in agricultural, industrial and domestic settings, directed efforts in allocation and end-use become necessary to ensure that this natural resource can satisfy human expansion rates. Along with implementation of systems to reduce stress on water resources, the conduction of field studies and design of models are necessary for monitoring impact severity. The University of California, Merced Water Systems Management Lab is devoted to combating issues relating to water availability, quality and distribution using modernized, interdisciplinary approaches. Topics of research interest in the lab include agricultural production, consumptive use, hydro-economic modeling and water-informatics. Studies on agricultural production seek to determine and remediate the impacts of environmental/policy changes on crop yields and distribution. Goals of this analysis includeimproving food availability and economic viability of farming as well as reduction of environmental consequences due to crop production. Hydro-economic modeling concerns itself with producing methods for predicting computational representations of the economics associated with water resources and seeks to optimize agricultural production given environmental parameters to evaluate economic impacts associated with climate change and to assist in developing water rights policy. With economic incentives forming one of the major drivers for improving the conditions of water use, especially in the agricultural sector, creating models that help to disseminate knowledge on these topics is of high importance. Results from studies in this sector may be important tools in advising policymakers and agricultural producers. Other projects undertaken by the Water Systems Management Lab include international water quality initiatives (FABRI) and open-source distribution of models for evaluating California’s water resources (HOBBES).