Drought and Water Scarcity

Oxford University

Drought and Water Scarcity is a education podcast hosted by Oxford University. It has 9 episodes, with the latest published June 2016.

Droughts are one of the headline strategic risks to the UK. In 2012 the UK experienced the driest spring in over a century, after two dry winters. Ministers faced the prospect of water shortages during the London Olympics. Whilst the drought conditions in early 2012 served as a wake-up call, the potential for water shortages in the UK, driven by changing patterns of demand and changing climatic conditions, had already been recognised. In the Thames Water region alone it is estimated that severe water rationing could potentially result in economic losses of £300million/day. The capacity for the natural environment to recover from periods of very low flows, deteriorated water quality, dry soils and hot temperatures is not well understood.Following this experience, the MaRIUS project has received NERC funding to explore how best to manage future droughts. This project – Managing the Risks, Impacts and Uncertainties of drought and water Scarcity (MaRIUS) will introduce a risk-based appro

education ·en-uk ·9 episodes