Collection Overview 

Scientific Data has launched a Guest-Edited Collection on Water storage.

Water, a vital resource for sustainable human and ecosystem futures, is circulated through the hydrologic cycle, which is being altered by climate change and human activities across scales.  To better understand the future states of water storage, its spatiotemporal variability, and implications for regional water security, we need more data and research into the inventories, processes, and technologies that map the quantity and quality of water storage in time and space.

This will be a Collection of data descriptors  and will be open for submissions from all authors – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Scientific Data more generally. We are welcoming submissions until 9th November 2026.

Why is this Collection important?

"Water, a vital resource for sustainable human and ecosystem futures, is circulated through the hydrologic cycle, which is being altered by climate change and human activities across scales.  To better understand the future states of water storage, its spatiotemporal variability, and implications for regional water security, we need more data and research into the inventories, processes, and technologies that map the quantity and quality of water storage in time and space.
 
This Collection will cover water storage from both Earth System and engineering perspectives, and is open to descriptions of datasets related to quantity and quality of freshwater reserves above, over, and below the land-surface, as well as the collection and treatment of water and the infrastructure necessary for both human and environment withdrawals. Data may be sourced using any relevant technique, including remote sensing, direct measurements, or simulations that reveal historical and future states of water storage near the surface of Earth, either in man-made structures or naturally occurring reservoirs, and may include both primary and secondary data sources."

- Dr. Dingzhi Peng, Guest Editor

"Water storage is fundamental to human security, ecosystem resilience, and climate adaptation, yet its quantity, quality, and variability are being reshaped by climate change, land use, and engineered systems. This Collection is exciting because it brings together Earth system science, engineering, observations, remote sensing, and modelling to build a more integrated view of freshwater storage across natural and managed reservoirs. Its impact could be to improve data availability, comparability, and decision-making for water security research and practice. Researchers should submit because this Collection offers a focused venue to showcase valuable datasets with clear relevance to science, infrastructure planning, and society."

- Dr. Ali Nazemi, Guest Editor

Why submit to a collection?  

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors, who are experts in their fields, and In-House Editors and are supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest.  

Who is involved?

Guest Editors:

• Saran Aadhar, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, India
• Ali Nazemi, Concordia University, Canada
• Dingzhi Peng, Beijing Normal University, China
• Bramha Dutt Vishwakarma, Indian Institute of Science, India

Internal Team:

• In-House Editor: Elizabeth Miller, Scientific Data, UK
• Commissioning Editor: Sophie Gray, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
• Managing Editor: Eleanor Smith, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK

How can I submit my paper?

Visit the Collection page for more information on the Collection, and how to submit your article.