The North American Water Program (NAWP)’s vision is to establish the scientific basis and the observation, modeling and decision approaches needed to manage North American water security and sustainability through climate, population and environmental change uncertainties. By addressing three NAWP challenges – adaptation, benchmarking and informing decisions – NAWP will provide solutions for North America's freshwater sustainability challenges.
The development of this effort started in 2010 with the recognized need for coordinated effort to advance North American hydroclimate science and solutions. This vision culminated in an April 2011 "Terrestrial Regional North American Hydroclimate Experiment" (TRACE) workshop in Silver Spring, Maryland. Over 75 participants provided valuable insights, consensus and mandates for embarking on this ambitious effort. Following the TRACE workshop, a small team reworked the vision and renamed it the North American Water Program (NAWP). The white paper detailing the scope of NAWP can be seen here.