Articles | Volume 17, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-2877-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-2877-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Model description paper
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16 Apr 2024
Model description paper | Highlight paper |
| 16 Apr 2024
| 16 Apr 2024
HydroFATE (v1): a high-resolution contaminant fate model for the global river system
Heloisa Ehalt Macedo
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0B9, Canada
Bernhard Lehner
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0B9, Canada
Jim Nicell
Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
Günther Grill
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0B9, Canada
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Editorial statement
This paper is significant for both the geoscience community and the general public. For geoscientists, the novel HydroFATE model provides an innovative tool to estimate and track the presence of household and pharmaceutical contaminants in the world's river systems, aiding in global pollution studies and environmental planning. For the public and media, it highlights the widespread issue of water contamination from commonly used substances, illustrating their potential impacts on environmental and public health. HydroFATE can inform decision-making across sectors - from water testing prioritization by local governments to ecological considerations by pharmaceutical companies, making it a compelling narrative for the media. The antibiotic sulfamethoxazole's use as a test case further links this work to global health discussions on antibiotic resistance.
This paper is significant for both the geoscience community and the general public. For...
Short summary
Treated and untreated wastewaters are sources of contaminants of emerging concern. HydroFATE, a new global model, estimates their concentrations in surface waters, identifying streams that are most at risk and guiding monitoring/mitigation efforts to safeguard aquatic ecosystems and human health. Model predictions were validated against field measurements of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, with predicted concentrations exceeding ecological thresholds in more than 400 000 km of rivers worldwide.
Treated and untreated wastewaters are sources of contaminants of emerging concern. HydroFATE, a...
