FS 3.128: Upstream-downstream connectivity and impacts in the world’s water towers

Mountains, often referred to as the world’s “water towers”, play an important role in global hydrology and for the provision of water resources. This role is being altered by climate change, impacting amount, timing and quality of mountain runoff. While substantial research has focused on changes in snow and glaciers, a holistic perspective is just emerging that interconnects changes in mountains and related impacts far downstream, where mountain runoff is vital for human use and ecosystems across many regions. For this Focus Session we welcome all contributions at catchment, regional and global scales including reviews that provide new insights on key environmental changes and corresponding impacts on interlinked mountain-lowland water systems and opportunities under climate change. These can include, but are not limited to, surface and groundwater supply, disaster risks, human water use, sediments, water quality, aquatic ecosystems, sea-level rise, human culture, economy and well-being, as well as transboundary water management. At the end of this session we would like to synthesize the presented scientific progress and remaining knowledge gaps, and discuss ways forward to enhance our understanding for urgently needed climate change adaptation.