Developing national climate risk indicators of spatial and temporal variations in river water temperature for the UK

The primary objective is to establish a comprehensive national-level assessment of spatio-temporal river water temperature as a climate risk indicator for potential drought events in the future. The ultimate goal is to derive practical outcomes to enhance the capacity of nations to effectively incorporate climate change adaptation measures into their respective national development frameworks (Mimura et al., 2015). The significance of climate risk indicators in UK policy formulation and adaptation was discussed in the "Sectoral Planning Guidelines for Climate Change Adaptation" (HM Government, 2022). It highlights that one of the key applications of indicators is to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation actions within various sectors. These indicators enable an evaluation of spatial and temporal changes in exposure level. Also, some of the primary objectives of the CCRA4 are to establish a new framework of indicators that facilitate the monitoring of investment decisions and the implementation of adaptation strategies. Additionally, it aims to evaluate the outcomes derived from these adaptation endeavours (HM Government, 2022).

The significance of temperature is apparent, as it serves as a key determinant of water quality and availability (O'Connor et al., 2022). The novelty of this indicator lies in its scarcity within the context of the UK. Its application can be exemplified by other indicators that have been utilized by the UK Climate Change Committee to assess trends in:
-Risk factors (hazard, vulnerability, and exposure)
-Adaptation action (input and output)
-Climate impacts across various sectors and administrative units (HM Government, 2022).
Furthermore, the indicators serve as a key asset for adaptation, playing a significant role in the process of "monitoring to manage". Furthermore, they possess practical utility in:
-Benchmarking current performance (over multiple decades, even reconstructed)
-Evaluating the outcomes of climate actions
-Communicating risks to diverse audiences

Lastly, it is important to consider the portability and transferability of the methods to different regions or time periods. Therefore, it is possible that similar approaches could be utilized in other country that currently lack established national indicators.

Water-WISER will train a cohort of 50 British research engineers and scientists and equip them to work in challenging environments both in the low-income settings of rapidly growing poor cities and in the changing urban environment of the UK, Europe and other regions with a historic endowment of aging infrastructure. The vision is for a generation of engineers with the skills to deliver the trans-disciplinary innovations needed to ensure that future water, waste and sanitation infrastructure is resilient to the stresses posed by rapid urbanisation, global climate change and increasingly extreme natural and man-made disasters. Our alumni will address the urgent need to re-imagine urban spaces as net contributors to ecological and environmental well-being rather than being net users of vital resources such as energy, nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon. These new leaders will be an essential resource if the UK is to deliver on its commitment to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 which calls for universal access to safely managed water and sanitation services, within planetary and local ecological boundaries. This next generation of research engineers will enable UK-based engineering consultancies, manufacturers, and utility companies to grow their share of the expanding global market for water and waste services, for example; in the water services industry from 3% to 10% (an increase of £33 billion per annum) by 2030, and attract significant inward investment.
The research which Water-WISER cohorts enable will form the basis of new innovations in the design and delivery of resilient infrastructure and services. Innovations developed by Water-WISER graduates will inform how growing cities are designed and built in the global south and will be used to inform the re-engineering and replacement of the aging infrastructure on which the UK's water and waste services are currently reliant. Our alumni will form the new generation of leaders who will play a central role in securing a larger share of the international water and waste management consultancy market to UK consultancies. The network of expertise and skills created by Water-WISER will enhance potential for collaborations between major UK players (for example strengthening links between UK consultancy, the Department for International Development, and leading UK water agencies such as WaterAid and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor) and between UK companies and partners in the global south including international investors such as the World Bank, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Graduates of Water-WISER will enter industry, academia and development agencies having spent a substantial period (minimum of six months) embedded in an industry or development partner organisation delivering their field-based research. Water-WISER students will thus gain a unique combination of trans-disciplinary training, field experience and cohort networking; they are destined for leadership roles in UK and international engineering and development consultancies, academia, international development banks, international agencies such as the United Nations and international non-governmental organisations.