Groundwater effects on multiple ecosystem services across regional and global scales

Environmental Biology Seminar Series. Invited speaker: Dr Jiangxiao Qiu, Assistant Professor, University of Florida; this seminar is hosted by the Bennett lab

Online seminar from 11:30-12:30 EST
Online discussion from 2-3:00 EST

Depletion of groundwater has been accelerating at regional to global scales. Besides serving domestic, industrial and agricultural needs, groundwater is also a fundamental control on biological, physical and chemical processes across the critical zone, all of which underpin supply of ecosystem services essential for humanity. While there is a rich history of research on groundwater effects on subsurface and surface processes, understanding the interactions, non-linearity and feedbacks between groundwater and multiple ecosystem services remains limited. In this seminar, Dr. Qiu used computational modeling and empirical data synthesis to reveal groundwater effects on a portfolio of food, water, and biogeochemical-related ecosystem service indicators across regional and global scales, and the role of climate in mediating groundwater impacts. These findings illustrate the complex role of groundwater in affecting ecosystem services, and highlight that strategically managing groundwater may enhance ecosystem service resilience to future climate extremes and increased climate variability.

To obtain the Zoom link to participate, please contact allison.ford [at] mail.mcgill.ca