Clean, accessible freshwater accounts for only 0.5% of Earth’s water resources, and this limited supply is under stress from pollution, climate change and the increasing demands of a growing global population. Yet many countries lack crucial data on their freshwater resources, hindering their ability to manage them.

For over six decades, the IAEA has helped countries track and manage their water resources by collecting data and building global networks that improve how water data are shared and used. These networks foster collaboration and innovation in water research and water resource management.

The Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP), established by the IAEA and the World Meteorological Organization in 1960, provides data that help countries understand and track shifts in precipitation patterns and identify which precipitation events — rainstorms, hurricanes, snowfall — are of key importance for groundwater recharge. Now in its 65th year, GNIP has compiled over 150 000 monthly records from 1200 sites in over 100 countries. “Through our partnership with the IAEA,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, “we’re deepening the scientific foundations of water cycle understanding, expanding open data, and unlocking innovations that drive better decisions in an era of climate change and growing water stress. We cannot manage what we do not measure. Data exchange is therefore critical, and this depends on trust and collaboration.”

The Global Network of Isotopes in Rivers (GNIR), launched by the IAEA in 2002, provides river water data to assess freshwater inflows and outflows, evaluate human impacts on rivers, quantify interactions between groundwater and surface water, and identify the effects of land use changes on rivers and streams. These data help us to understand how rivers are responding to climate change and to ensure their future resilience. The IAEA is also developing a Global Network of Isotopes in Lakes (GNIL) to monitor how lakes respond to climate change, in particular evaporative loss.

The IAEA is working to increase water cooperation through its Global Water Analysis Laboratory (GloWAL) Network. Launched in 2023, the network aims to give countries the tools and expertise to measure, monitor and manage their water resources effectively.

“The GloWAL Network exemplifies the IAEA’s dedication to empowering countries, encouraging collaboration, producing data for policymaking and promoting water’s essential contribution to peace and prosperity,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

In its first 5 years, the GloWAL Network plans to create 7 regional laboratory networks, equip 100 laboratories, train 1000 water experts, and generate at least half a million data points that will be fed into a global database accessible to scientists and policymakers worldwide.

GNIP and GNIR data are available through the WISER portal (Water Isotope System for Data Analysis, Visualization, and Electronic Retrieval).