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Convergent and transdisciplinary integration: On the future of integrated modeling of human-water systems
  • +33
  • Saman Razavi,
  • Ashleigh Duffy,
  • Leila Eamen,
  • Anthony Jakeman,
  • Timothy Jardine,
  • Howard Wheater,
  • Randall J. Hunt,
  • Holger Robert Maier,
  • Mohamed S. Abdelhamed,
  • Mohammad Ghoreishi,
  • Hoshin V. Gupta,
  • Petra Doell,
  • Enayat Moallemi,
  • Fuad Yassin,
  • Graham Strickert,
  • Ehsan Nabavi,
  • Juliane Mai,
  • Yanping Li,
  • Julie M. Thériault,
  • Wenyan Wu,
  • John W Pomeroy,
  • Martyn P. Clark,
  • Grant Ferguson,
  • Patricia Gober,
  • Ximing Cai,
  • Maureen Reed,
  • Andrea Saltelli,
  • Amin Elshorbagy,
  • Mahdi Sedighkia,
  • Julie Terry,
  • Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt,
  • David M. Hannah,
  • Kailong li,
  • Masoud Asadzadeh,
  • Natasha Harvey,
  • Hamid Moradkhani
Saman Razavi
University of Saskatchewan

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Ashleigh Duffy
University of Saskatchewan
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Leila Eamen
University of Saskatchewan
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Anthony Jakeman
Australian National University
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Timothy Jardine
University of Saskatchewan
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Howard Wheater
University of Saskatchewan
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Randall J. Hunt
United States Geological Survey
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Holger Robert Maier
University of Adelaide
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Mohamed S. Abdelhamed
University of Saskatchewan
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Mohammad Ghoreishi
University of Saskatchewan
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Hoshin V. Gupta
The University of Arizona
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Petra Doell
Goethe University Frankfurt
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Enayat Moallemi
CSIRO Australia
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Fuad Yassin
University of Saskatchewan
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Graham Strickert
University of Saskatchewan
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Ehsan Nabavi
Australian National University
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Juliane Mai
University of Waterloo
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Yanping Li
University of Saskatchewan
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Julie M. Thériault
University of Quebec at Montreal
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Wenyan Wu
The University of Melbourne
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John W Pomeroy
University of Saskatchewan
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Martyn P. Clark
University of Calgary
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Grant Ferguson
University of Saskatchewan
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Patricia Gober
Arizona State University
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Ximing Cai
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
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Maureen Reed
University of Saskatchewan
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Andrea Saltelli
University of Bergen
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Amin Elshorbagy
University of Saskatchewan
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Mahdi Sedighkia
Australian National University
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Julie Terry
University of Saskatchewan
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Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt
Global Institute for Water Security
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David M. Hannah
University of Birmingham
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Kailong li
University of Saskatchewan
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Masoud Asadzadeh
University of Manitoba
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Natasha Harvey
Australian National University
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Hamid Moradkhani
The University of Alabama
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Abstract

The notion of convergent and transdisciplinary integration, which is about braiding together different knowledge systems, is becoming the mantra of numerous initiatives aimed at tackling pressing water challenges. Yet, the transition from rhetoric to actual implementation is impeded by incongruence in semantics, methodologies, and discourse among disciplinary scientists and societal actors. This paper confronts these disciplinary barriers by advocating a synthesis of existing and missing links across the frontiers distinguishing hydrology from engineering, the social sciences and economics, Indigenous and place-based knowledge, and studies of other interconnected natural systems such as the atmosphere, cryosphere, and ecosphere.
Specifically, we embrace ‘integrated modeling’, in both quantitative and qualitative senses, as a vital exploratory instrument to advance such integration, providing a means to navigate complexity and manage the uncertainty associated with understanding, diagnosing, predicting, and governing human-water systems. While there are, arguably, no bounds to the pursuit of inclusivity in representing the spectrum of natural and human processes around water resources, we advocate that integrated modeling can provide a focused approach to delineating the scope of integration, through the lens of three fundamental questions: a) What is the modeling ‘purpose’? b) What constitutes a sound ‘boundary judgment’? and c) What are the ‘critical uncertainties’ and how do they propagate through interconnected subsystems? More broadly, we call for investigating what constitutes warranted ‘systems complexity’, as opposed to unjustified ‘computational complexity’ when representing complex natural and human-natural systems, with particular attention to interdependencies and feedbacks, nonlinear dynamics and thresholds, hysteresis, time lags, and legacy effects.
13 Jun 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
13 Jun 2024Published in ESS Open Archive