Future Water Stress hazard dataset

A global dataset at 0.1° resolution of twelve water stress indicators from five climate models under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). The time resolution is annual from 1981 to 2100.

Future Water Stress dataset specifications

Specification	Description
Experiment	CMIP6
Scenarios	Shared Socioeconomic Pathways SSP5-8.5, SSP2-4.5 and SSP1-2.6.
Climate models	The 5 models selected by the ISIMIP initiative: IPSL-CM6A-LR, GFDL-ESM4, UKESM1-0-LL, MPI-ESM1-2-HR, MRI-ESM2-0.
Spatial resolution	0.1° x 0.1° Global
Temporal resolution	Annual from 1981 to 2100
Indicators	The water stress hazard indicators are based on the potential evapotranspiration (ET₀) computed from daily climate variables using three reference methods: Penman-Monteith (FAO-56), Hargreaves-Samani, and Priestley–Taylor. Indicators are defined as follows: Annual water stress: Annual sum of the daily difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (P – ET₀), representing the yearly net water balance. Negative values indicate annual-scale hydrological deficit. The unit is mm. High evapotranspiration days: Annual count of days when daily ET₀ exceeds the 90th percentile threshold, based on a historical reference period. The unit is days. Severe water deficit days: Annual count of days when daily ET₀ exceeds daily precipitation by more than a fixed threshold (5 mm), highlighting periods of acute water stress. The unit is days. Cumulative evapotranspiration: Annual sum of daily ET₀ values, representing the total atmospheric demand for water over the year. The unit is mm.
Format	NetCDF, other formats possible depending on data volume

Supplementary information

The Future Water Stress dataset provides climate indicators that quantify the intensity and frequency of hydrological stress under historical and future climate scenarios. These indicators are derived from the daily difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (P – ET₀), computed using three reference methods: Penman-Monteith (FAO-56), Hargreaves-Samani, and Priestley–Taylor. Metrics include the annual water balance, cumulative evapotranspiration, frequency of high evapotranspiration days, and days of severe water deficit. All indicators are calculated from downscaled bias-adjusted daily simulation outputs of downscaled CMIP6 global climate models, supporting consistent assessments across spatial and temporal scales.

Water Stress dataset availability

The dataset can be delivered according to your specifications, contact us for a quote.

See all our climate projection data for the other hazards and the weather variables.