Abstract
Many real-world water problems involve both hydrology and economics; however, they are often studied within a single discipline, with the other viewed as either 'trivial' or 'overcomplicated.' My dream is to develop a communication tool that bridges hydrologists and economists, enabling us to address sustainability challenges while advancing scientific understanding. In this talk, I will share my reflective experiences from 30 years of water resources systems modeling—integrating both hydrology and economics—applied to systems ranging from reservoirs and basins to the global scale.
Bio
Ximing Cai’s primary research area is water resources systems analysis, with a focus on coupled hydrology-human systems. He has been developing and applying systems approaches and data-driven methods to various water resources management problems, including the food-energy-water nexus, river basin management, reservoir operation, and drought management. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary research by integrating hydrology and economics to better understand the complexity of environmental and water resources systems, thereby providing critical decision support for water resources management. He has been elected as a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the International Water Resources Association (IWRA). He is the recipient of the 2024 Warren Hall Medal from the University Council of Water Resources (UCOWR), which recognizes his contributions to interdisciplinary research in water resources. He currently serves as the Chair of the IWRA Task Force Committee on Downscaling SDGs to National, Basin, and Local Scales.