Nile+4+meeting+-+January+21+2011


 * MINUTES OF N4 MEETING **

**Date:** January 21, 2011

**Participants:** Berhanu Zemadim Charlotte Macalister Catherine Pfiefer Mathew MCartney Holger Hoff Solomon Seyoum Tammo Steenhuis Tseday Ayalew

**Venue:** IWMI Meeting Room

The meeting started with the explanation on the works of the different Nile projects. Accordingly N2 has started to do the following: > Ground water (shallow) – up to pan if any (dip wells with pressure transducers – 6 per catchment in transect across valley) - if possible dipwells will go through the pan to compare. > Stream flow – pressure transducer and logger to measure stage; current meter with logger to record stream flow; stage boards at same locations to make a rating equation (eg. Twice daily) > MET – one automatic station in each catchment; 5 manual rain gauges in each > Sediment – maybe some simple secci disk/bucket measurements Regarding mapping data, it was said that it will be useful to check the one Mapping Agency has for topographic maps and for land use maps recommendation was given to look through the ENTRO data which was assigned to Catherine. In addition more data on land use can be found from MoA and MoEWR. This data is found with Birhanu and Catherine is go through it. More data screening shall be done on the one that is found on Aster's machine.
 *  Collecting baseline data to work on surface and ground water, soil moisture
 * Instrumentation will include Soil moisture @ 1m profile

Note was made that huge effort must be done in proper archive, use, setup and access of data that is already available and the one that is to be stored in the future. The idea at the moment is to make the data available to partners that are outside the CG system as well, like the Cornell and SEI. For the time being a solution of putting all the data on FTP server is to be worked on.

Comment was given that N2 should have included the issue of sedimentation among the many elements it measures. Sedimentation is said to be in direct relation with productivity. Therefore measuring the quality, quantity, content, location and fraction of sediment must be measured with the other factors to also support nutrient analysis and enrichment ratio. As it was cleared, N2 will not work on productivity. Therefore Teklu can write a proposal including field work for productivity and align it with N2. N4 could be able to finance it and the proposal idea must be finalized by next week as a revised budget must be sent by then. Question was raised if anyone knows anything about the initiative that was carried to estimate productivity using remote sensing data. Though no one knows for sure, Teklu promised to send Holger the reference of a previous study with slight detail on the topic. Another initiative was said to exist that was worked by a PhD student, and the possibility of including the student in the discussion was also raised.

Accordingly this issue was identified as one area of research where a possible assignment of a student can be made. Assignment is given to Teklu to write the proposal for the work and include it in his workplan as well to enable N4 arrange the funding. A potential collection of data is indicated to originate from ARARI which might need official permission to use. However the data is said to be found with Professor Tammo to access for the project.

In the discussion made regarding which modeling technique to use, agreement is reached to take SWAT, as it is easy and had been used in the earlier related projects from which data is going to be taken. At the moment coding is being processed by Tammo and Zac to translate the SWAT into windows. N4 will take SWAT from N2 and add WEAP. Results from N2 will only arrive after June 2012 for calibration and validation, as some of the instrumentation ordered will arrive in June 2011, adding one year of monitoring. However it was said that it is still vague how the SWAT/WEAP work in the same interface and which one would be more fitting. Holger said that the issue needs more discussion with colleagues in Boston. Accordingly Zac and Tammo will go to Boston and discuss it with Jack Silver. In the mean time Mathew and Solomon will have a brief discussion with Holger when they meet in Ghana in the week of the Jan 24 where they will be taking all the data they have for him to go through.

It was noted that it is important to decide on common catchment boundaries from the SWAT for all fields involved. Catherine will be working on similarity and adoption analysis while same will be used in relation to productivity and etc. Ideas were exchanged on what could possibly be the boundary which is said to be taken further more into discussion as work progresses.

Holger said he has two projects that he would like to attach to N4 and students to send to Ethiopia. Suggestion was given for them to come on the NBDC first year review kind of Scientific Workshop so that they would be able to meet the relevant people at one go and plus get an idea on the project properly. In addtion it was said that it would be possible to set some days to work together on modeling and the like.

Mapping Land use change, land cover and crop type were also discussed as one point. N3 is said to include this as one element. Note was made that this would enable to identify how representative the catchment is for the Wereda and how representative the catchment is for the basin.

A general concern was raised if the modeling and monitoring that is being worked on will really contribute to the objective of the project: RWM Interventions Impact. It was said that while that is the overall effort to realize, the concern will be a focus under on-going discussion. Note was made that it would be very important to define intervention to create a starting common understanding.