Lakes are getting virtual clones to help managers decide how to protect them from floods, droughts, and pollution. Climate change is hitting lake ecosystems hard, threatening their ability to provide clean drinking water, control floods, support wildlife, and offer recreation. Current management approaches often fail to account for how these different services interact or how they will respond to future pressures. EcoTwin builds a Digital Twin—a real-time virtual replica of a lake that pulls in satellite data, on-site sensors, and computer models—to simulate how the lake behaves under changing conditions and human interventions. If successful, the project will give water managers a practical tool to test management strategies before implementing them. Instead of guessing how a new flood-control measure might affect water quality or fish habitat, they can run scenarios on the digital twin. The framework will also produce visualisations that help communicate trade-offs to the public and policymakers. This could shift how reservoirs, wetlands, and lakes are managed across the UK, making decisions more adaptive and transparent in the face of climate uncertainty.
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EcoTwin is dedicated to strengthening the integration of ecosystem services within the realm of water resource management, with a specific emphasis on lake ecosystems. Lakes, as crucial components of our natural environment, contribute invaluably to society by offering a diverse array of ecosystem services, ranging from flood and drought regulation to recreation, habitat provision, and drinking water supply. However, the escalating impacts of climate change pose an imminent and severe threat to the resilience of lake ecosystems, compelling the need for the adoption of advanced technology and methodologies to fortify our understanding, management, and long-term preservation efforts. In response to this critical challenge, EcoTwin leverages the power of Digital Twins as a transformative tool. Digital Twins represent virtual replicas of physical systems, continuously updated in real-time, enabling sophisticated simulations and in- depth analysis. Their distinctive advantage lies in their capacity to amalgamate a wide array of data sources, including Earth Observation, in-situ observations, and various models, to generate precise simulations of aquatic ecosystems. Digital Twins enable us to explore how lakes respond to changing environmental conditions, human influences, and management strategies. Beyond that, they promote enhanced communication and engagement with stakeholders by providing visualizations and scenarios that underpin informed decision-making. EcoTwin is committed to harnessing the potential of Digital Twins to radically enhance the integration of Ecosystem Services in water resource management, with a primary focus on flood and drought regulation, habitat provisioning, recreation, water supply, and carbon and nutrient management. The core objectives of this project encompass the co- design of an adaptable Digital Twin framework in collaboration with key stakeholders, the seamless integration of diverse data sources, the enabling of short-term forecasting, and the facilitation of long-term scenario assessments, all while enhancing public engagement. Moreover, by integrating an adaptable Ecosystem Service module within a Digital Twin framework, EcoTwin seeks to instigate a paradigm shift in the management of aquatic ecosystems, thereby securing the sustainability and resilience of lakes while optimizing the delivery of essential ecosystem services. Our project aligns harmoniously with the overarching themes and topics delineated in the call, effectively addressing the multifaceted challenges and pressures that affect ecosystem services. Furthermore, it lends robust support to informed decision-making and adaptation in the face of global change. EcoTwin demonstrates our firm dedication to addressing the specific requirements outlined in the Water4All Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), with a particular emphasis on enhancing ecosystem resilience, mitigating challenges, promoting adaptation, and facilitating the smooth integration of ecosystem services into water resource management.
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