West: Water Economy Simulation Tool To Predict Impacts Of Economic And Environmental Shocks
August 3, 2020 - Reimer, Jeffrey J.; Babbar-Sebens, Meghna; Rivera, Samuel J.
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EmailJournal or Book Title: ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES
Volume/Issue: 142
Year Published: 2020
Regions with vulnerabilities in their food-energy-water nexus may also have economic vulnerabilities. Actions to reduce environmental vulnerabilities may conflict with community concerns about jobs and economic vitality. To account for these potentially competing concerns, this study builds a nexus simulation model that incorporates water, energy, food, and detailed economic data. The model can be used for standalone analysis or incorporated into a multi-disciplinary design optimization framework. The model is called WEST (for Water Economy Simulation Tool) and can show how jobs and economic growth interact with surface and groundwater use, food, and energy. A case study for the U.S. state of Oregon illustrates the insights to be gained from the approach and provides a template for readers to develop their own WEST simulation model.
DOI: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2020.103648
Type of Publication: Article