Knowledge Gap: Groundwater stakeholders, including many hydrogeologists and early-career scientists and students are unfamiliar with WEF Nexus concepts and implications for SDGs and groundwater sustainability.
Climate variability and change is a major drivers and perturbations within the WEF Nexus (Endo et al., 2015; Gurdak, 2018; Velasco et al., 2015). The thick, solid arrows represent the linkages (relationships) within the Nexus, and include (A) Energy for Water, (B) Water for Energy, (C) Water for Food, (D) Food for Energy, and (E) Energy for Food. The thin, solid arrows (#1) represent the impacts of WEF Nexus concepts on groundwater management and policy, and the arrows (#2) represent feedbacks of sustainable groundwater resources on the Nexus (Gurdak, 2018).
Research Question: Will practicing hydrogeologists and groundwater stakeholders adopt WEF Nexus concepts and approaches to advance SDGs and sustainable groundwater resources?
Hypothesis: The WEF Nexus concepts and approaches will be used by many hydrogeologists and groundwater stakeholders if adequate support infrastructure and capacity-building is available to help provide education and training, particularly for early-career scientists from developing countries and historically under-represented groups (e.g., women and youth).
Objective: Create the global WEF-GW Nexus community; starting with a focused effort on three intercontinental regions (Mediterranean, Southern Africa, and North America) that facilitates research, discussion, training, and knowledge sharing about the WEF Nexus and groundwater sustainability and SDGs between more industrialized and developing countries. We will also focus on early-career scientists, women, and youth, particularly from developing countries, and account for their varying needs, urbanisation, and climate variability.
Water Energy Food Nexus and Groundwater 