Leveraging Earth Observation Data to Study Interdependence of Water, Energy, and Food Systems

The global demand for food, water, and energy is increasing due to factors such as urbanization, population growth, economic expansion, and regional conflicts. Given their interconnected nature, our study employs an integrated Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF) approach to explore the interdependencies of water, energy, and food systems. We use Nepal, a developing country, as a case study to analyze the impacts of climate change on the consumption of these resources.

Nepal, situated in Southeast Asia, presents a unique challenge with sparse and hard-to-obtain datasets. We analyzed the WEF nexus at the watershed level in Nepal by leveraging NASA's Earth Observation data hosted in the Earthdata Cloud. We combined long-term satellite and model datasets at various spatial and temporal resolutions, such as GLDAS (Global Land Data Assimilation System), Black Marble Night Light, and MODIS (The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), with hydropower generation and socioeconomic data to gain a holistic understanding of the region's water, energy, and food dynamics.

Through the integration of datasets from multiple disciplines and rigorous scientific methodologies, this study seeks to understand the WEF nexus and highlights the potential of NASA’s Earth Observation in addressing multifaceted resource management challenges in regions at risk of climate change. Furthermore, this research offers insights to the scientific community and policymakers engaged in developing robust strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of WEF resources within the context of a changing climate.