Khazaelpour et al. (2026) Coordinated allocation of conservation incentives and water management across a river basin under hydrological uncertainty

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Environmental Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-02-14
• Authors: Payam Khazaelpour, Shabnam Rezapour, Madeline T. Wade, Thomas M. Neeson
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128961

Research Groups

• Multidisciplinary Engineering and Computing Education, System and Management (ESM), Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
• Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
• Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

Short Summary

This study develops high-resolution robust optimization models integrating surface water, groundwater, and conservation strategies to enhance water availability and ecosystem resilience in river basins. Applied to the Red River Basin, the models demonstrate that coordinated basin-wide conservation significantly improves water sustainability while supporting ecological and agricultural needs.

Objective

• To develop and apply high-resolution robust optimization models that integrate surface water, groundwater, and conservation strategies to enhance water availability and ecosystem resilience in river basins.
• To evaluate coordinated water management and conservation policies under hydrological, geological, and conservation uncertainties.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: A portion of the Red River Basin in the south-central United States.
• Temporal Scale: Focuses on developing a decision-support approach for long-term planning and policy evaluation under uncertainty, rather than a specific historical or future period.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: High-resolution robust optimization models that integrate surface water, groundwater, and conservation strategies.
• Data sources: Implied: Hydrological, geological, and socio-economic data for the Red River Basin to account for hydrological, geological, and conservation uncertainties, and to estimate instream water volumes. Specific sources are not detailed in the provided text.

Main Results

• Coordinated basin-wide conservation in the Red River can significantly improve water sustainability.
• This improved water sustainability supports both ecological and agricultural needs within the basin.

Contributions

• A detailed model for estimating instream water volumes across the basin.
• A decision-support approach that yields robust solutions and quantifies trade-offs among competing socio-environmental objectives under uncertainty.
• Prioritization of basin regions for targeted conservation implementation.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Khazaelpour2026Coordinated,
  author = {Khazaelpour, Payam and Rezapour, Shabnam and Wade, Madeline T. and Neeson, Thomas M.},
  title = {Coordinated allocation of conservation incentives and water management across a river basin under hydrological uncertainty},
  journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128961},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128961}
}