Journal article
Can Common Pool Resource Theory Catalyze Stakeholder-Driven Solutions to the Freshwater Salinization Syndrome?
Environmental science & technology, Vol.56(19), pp.13517-13527
10/04/2022
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c01555
PMCID: PMC9536470
PMID: 36103712
Abstract
Freshwater salinity is rising across many regions of the United States as well as globally, a phenomenon called the freshwater salinization syndrome (FSS). The FSS mobilizes organic carbon, nutrients, heavy metals, and other contaminants sequestered in soils and freshwater sediments, alters the structures and functions of soils, streams, and riparian ecosystems, threatens drinking water supplies, and undermines progress toward many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. There is an urgent need to leverage the current understanding of salinization’s causes and consequences─in partnership with engineers, social scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders─into locally tailored approaches for balancing our nation’s salt budget. In this feature, we propose that the FSS can be understood as a common pool resource problem and explore Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom’s social-ecological systems framework as an approach for identifying the conditions under which local actors may work collectively to manage the FSS in the absence of top-down regulatory controls. We adopt as a case study rising sodium concentrations in the Occoquan Reservoir, a critical water supply for up to one million residents in Northern Virginia (USA), to illustrate emerging impacts, underlying causes, possible solutions, and critical research needs.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Can Common Pool Resource Theory Catalyze Stakeholder-Driven Solutions to the Freshwater Salinization Syndrome?
- Creators
- Stanley B. Grant - Virginia TechMegan A. Rippy - Virginia TechThomas A. Birkland - North Carolina State UniversityTodd Schenk - Virginia TechKristin Rowles - Policy Works LLC, Baltimore, MD, United StatesShalini Misra - Virginia TechPayam Aminpour - Johns Hopkins UniversitySujay Kaushal - Earth System Science Interdisciplinary CenterPeter Vikesland - Virginia TechEmily Berglund - North Carolina State UniversityJesus D. Gomez-Velez - Vanderbilt UniversityErin R. Hotchkiss - Virginia TechGabriel Perez - Vanderbilt UniversityHarry X. Zhang - Water Research FoundationKingston Armstrong - North Carolina State UniversityShantanu V. Bhide - Virginia TechLauren Krauss - Virginia TechCarly Maas - Earth System Science Interdisciplinary CenterKent Mendoza - Virginia TechCaitlin Shipman - Virginia TechYadong Zhang - Vanderbilt UniversityYinman Zhong - North Carolina State University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Environmental science & technology, Vol.56(19), pp.13517-13527
- DOI
- 10.1021/acs.est.2c01555
- PMID
- 36103712
- PMCID
- PMC9536470
- NLM abbreviation
- Environ Sci Technol
- ISSN
- 0013-936X
- eISSN
- 1520-5851
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- 21-001 / Metropolitan Washington Council of Government Directorate for Engineering (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000084) 2020820; 2020814 / Directorate for Engineering (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000084) National Science Foundation (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000001) 2021015 / National Science Foundation (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000001)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/04/2022
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984962628802771
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