New Database Provides World’s Most Comprehensive Data on River Barriers and Reservoirs
A new database developed by the Global Dam Watch (GDW) consortium is set to revolutionize our understanding of river barriers and reservoirs worldwide. The GDW database integrates existing global datasets to provide the most comprehensive and globally consistent resource for large-scale analyses to date.
Researchers and policymakers can learn more about the GDW database in a new peer-reviewed journal article in Scientific Data and access the full dataset to gain valuable insights into these crucial water management systems here.
“Dams and reservoirs depend on and impact ecosystem services from the surrounding landscape – the benefits nature provides to people,” said Lisa Mandle, lead scientist at the Stanford-based Natural Capital Project, director of science-software integration, and a co-author of the article. “We need to know where dams are to manage these ecosystem services, and the Global Dam Watch database brings together previously very fragmented information to make that possible.”
Michele Thieme, deputy director, freshwater at World Wildlife Fund and a leader of the effort, said, “This database provides a major step forward toward a comprehensive and consistent global database of river barriers and reservoirs. A wide range of hydrological and water resources analyses are now possible, with major implications for water resources management and conservation of freshwater systems–the lifeblood of humans and nature across the globe.”
With millions of river barriers scattered across the globe, ranging from wooden navigation locks to concrete dams, it is crucial to have accurate and up-to-date information on their characteristics and geographical distribution. However, existing global datasets are often created from national or basin scale inputs, making them inconsistent and unreliable for global analyses. The GDW database aims to address this issue by bringing together existing global datasets to create a single, globally consistent repository of instream barriers and reservoirs and their attributes.
“It is astonishing how little we know about the global distribution of river barriers and reservoirs given their importance. Yet we need to know their precise location within the river network if we want to fully understand both their benefits for humans and their environmental tradeoffs,” said Bernhard Lehner, Associate Professor of Geography at McGill University.
Version 1.0 of the GDW database contains 41,145 barrier locations and 35,295 associated reservoir polygons. These barriers represent a cumulative storage capacity of 7,420 km3 and an artificial terrestrial surface water area of 304,600 km2.
River barriers and their associated reservoirs play an important role for water supply, flood control, hydropower production, and navigation. Yet at the same time there are negative ecological consequences caused by the fragmentation and regulation of river ecosystems and the trapping of sediments. The GDW database will enable large-scale analyses of the environmental and social trade-offs associated with river barriers and reservoirs, shedding light on their impacts and facilitating informed decision-making. The GDW database fills a crucial gap in our understanding of these artificial structures, and facilitates a more sustainable and informed approach to managing river barriers and reservoirs worldwide.
This press release was adapted from one by the World Wildlife Fund.
The Natural Capital Project is based out of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and its Woods Institute for the Environment, and the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences’ Department of Biology.