HR: 09:50h
AN: H11H-08    [Abstracts]
TI: US scientific contributions to the water resources program of the International Atomic Energy Agency
AU: * Aggarwal, P K
EM: p.aggarwal@iaea.org
AF: International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Str 5, Vienna, A1400, Austria
AU: Schneider, V R
EM: vrschnei@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 431 National Center 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr, Reston, VA 20192, United States
AB: It is well recognized that a better understanding of the water cycle and increased availability of hydrological information for surface and groundwater resources are key factors in the ability to sustainably manage water resources. Since its inception in 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has played a critical role in developing isotope applications for hydrology and building scientific capacity in developing countries. Through an active technical cooperation program with a funding of nearly $8M per biennium, the IAEA assists developing countries in using isotope techniques for the assessment and monitoring of water resources, in particular, groundwater resources. In addition, substantial human resources and institutional capacity are built through the provision of training and appropriate equipment for monitoring. The water resources program of the IAEA is implemented with the support of a number of experts and the United States contributes extensively to this program. Although spanning the entire 50 year history of the IAEA, the contribution of US scientists, and particularly those from the US Geological Survey, has been substantial over the past 10 years. These contributions have included assistance in technical cooperation projects in Africa, Latin America and Asia, as well as internationally coordinated research projects in vadose zone hydrology, surface water – groundwater interactions, and regional aquifer studies. In Ethiopia, a national groundwater assessment program was formulated and a computer database was provided to manage hydrological information. A robust program of capacity building in cooperation with the USGS and Argonne National Laboratory has provided training to a number of IAEA-sponsored candidates from Africa and Latin America. This paper will describe the objectives and results of some of these cooperative efforts.
DE: 1040 Radiogenic isotope geochemistry
DE: 1655 Water cycles (1836)
DE: 1807 Climate impacts
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1830 Groundwater/surface water interaction
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting