This interdisciplinary session explores data-driven applications within complex systems, specifically aiming to assess interconnections between the water-energy-food-climate nexus across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The emergence of nexus thinking in the wake of the 2011 Bonn Nexus conference has triggered changes in the way we think about our natural resources. In spite of this, our understanding of the interconnections, synergies and feedbacks that exist between water, energy, food and climate systems remains limited across the academic, business and regulatory sectors owing to our continued operation of each sector in silo, with each offering its own language and framework for understanding the nexus. In this session, we will bring together researchers and practitioners who are producing and collating data-driven approaches to understand the nexus. While there are some examples of modelling approaches and integrated analyses taking place to assess these sectors, much more work is needed to establish data sources, trends, risk and opportunities to advance collaboration and progress across these complex systems.

The focus of papers in this session should include (but are not limited to):

i) Scaling studies within the WEFC nexus, assessing cross-scale assessments, from individual to national scale assessments of interconnections and feedbacks

ii) Introduction of analytical frameworks or modelling approaches to quantifying WEFC nexus dynamics at any scale.

iii) Impacts, risks and opportunities of legislation and/or technological intervention for integrated natural resource management and evaluation of physical flows across the WEFC sectors

iv) The role of participatory workshops and their role in WEFC analyses in providing direct quantitative and qualitative data from stakeholders

v) Case studies that assess water, energy and food concomitantly with approaches that highlight the relevance of data collection & management, participatory approaches, integrated modelling and/or risk assessment.

vi) Discussions on data requirements and access issues to undertaking WEFC nexus assessments at contrasting scales and how these could be avoided/addressed/improved