Climate Change
Urmi Jahan Tanni; Nahrin Jannat Hossain; Md Mahfuzul Haque; Md Redwanul Islam
Abstract
Drought poses significant environmental and economic threats in northwestern parts of Bangladesh. It results mainly due to uncertainty in rainfall and long-dry weather pattern. Scientists predict that less rainfall, characterized by climate change, will increase water scarcity and lead to severe hydrological ...
Read More
Drought poses significant environmental and economic threats in northwestern parts of Bangladesh. It results mainly due to uncertainty in rainfall and long-dry weather pattern. Scientists predict that less rainfall, characterized by climate change, will increase water scarcity and lead to severe hydrological and agricultural drought with a long-term impact on life and livelihood. We aimed to identify the coupled socio-hydrological systems in Sapahar Upazila of Naogaon District to understand the consequences of prolonged drought. We also explored the socio-hydrological resilience and capacity of the households to cope with the situation. We identified the social subsystems of the household members that assist in facing the challenges posed by drought. The research identified that household members are increasingly susceptible to water scarcity, crop failure, food insecurity, and unemployment due to recurring drought events. Farmers have been adopting strategies, including changing traditional agricultural patterns, cultivating drought-tolerant species, introducing rainwater harvesting systems, re-excavating pond and canal to store water, and sometimes farmers are changing their conventional occupation and migrating to nearby cities. Long-term transformation in land use and land cover change is also identified employing GIS analytical tools. It has identified the decline of paddy fields and the increase of mango cultivation and fish farming over twenty years. Based on the findings, the study recommends increased institutional cooperation among different stakeholders. It also suggests taking measures like innovating drought tolerant and less water consuming crops and supporting farmers to strengthen human-water coupling to achieve resilience against drought.
Climate Change
Yaser Sabzevari; Saeid Eslamian
Abstract
Introduction: Drought is a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period. It is a part of normal climate variability in many climate zones. The duration of droughts varies widely. Drought can develop quickly and last only for a matter of weeks, exacerbated by extreme heat and/or wind, but more ...
Read More
Introduction: Drought is a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period. It is a part of normal climate variability in many climate zones. The duration of droughts varies widely. Drought can develop quickly and last only for a matter of weeks, exacerbated by extreme heat and/or wind, but more commonly drought can persist for months or years. Decreased rainfall and severe fluctuations in rainfall are factors that have exacerbated the water crisis in recent years, as well as numerous droughts. Drought is one of the most important natural disasters that is called lack of rainfall in a long period Drought is a natural phenomenon that has a significant impact on Human life exists and its temporal and spatial variations can be effective in dealing with the effects of this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the drought process using SPI and Mann-Kendal test as well as meteorological drought spatial variations in Lorestan province using GIS.Materials and Methods: Drought is often grouped into four basic types: 1) meteorological or climatological, 2) agricultural, 3) hydrological, and 4) socioeconomic. Meteorological and climatological drought is defined in terms of the magnitude of a precipitation shortfall and the duration of this shortfall event. Lorestan province with an area of 28064 km in western Iran is located between 46 degrees and 51 minutes to 50 degrees and 3 minutes’ east longitude of the Greenwich meridian and 32 degree and 37 minutes and 34 degrees and 22 minutes north latitude of the equator.The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was developed to determine drought and wetness at each station, and the values obtained (SPI) indicate different intensities of drought in an area. The Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) is a relatively new drought index based only on precipitation. It's an index based on the probability of precipitation for any time scale. Some processes are rapidly affected by atmospheric behavior, such as dry land agriculture, and the relevant time scale is a month or two.Results and Discussion: Using SPI index, rainfall data of 9 synoptic stations and 23 rain gauging stations in the statistical period (1998-2018) were analyzed at the provincial level. The Mann-Kendal test was used to examine the trend of annual changes and the appropriate interpolation method was used to prepare zoning maps using the information of all 32 stations. The Mann-Kendal test is used to check the time trend for each set of data. This test is based on non-parametric linear regression logic. In this study, for interpolation, the methods of inverse distance weighting, Global polynomials, local polynomials, radial basis functions and kriging were investigated and the most accurate method was selected.Mann-Kendal test results showed that the trend of drought index changes of Alashtar at the 95% probability level was significant and increasing and the rest of cities lacked Are meaningful. The results indicate that according to the value classification scale (SPI), Aligudarz city was very dry in 1999 and 2008, with moderate humidity in 2017 and moderate drought in 2000 and in the other years has been in normal condition. The most suitable method was Kriging method for zoning drought in the province. For this purpose, the years 2012, 2016 and 2018 were designated as representative of the dry, wet and normal years, respectively. According to the zoning maps mentioned in three years, in the year 2012 districts west and south have been subjected to severe drought, in the northern part of the province in the wet period in the year 2016, and in the eastern part of the province in the year 2018 have been most exposed to drought. Also, considering the number of droughts in different years for the selected stations, the driest station, Kohdasht station and the humidest station, Nourabad station was introduced.Conclusions: Based on result of study, the driest station can be introduced as Koohdasht and the wettest station can be introduced as Noorabad. According to the results of this study and the occurrence of various droughts in different parts of the province, to deal with the effects of this phenomenon, proper planning of water resources and insurance of agricultural products, especially in the city of Koohdasht, which more than other parts of the province with Drought has been suggested.
Climate Change
Zareena Begum Irfan; A Chandhini
Abstract
Rapid urbanisation has led to emergence of urban agglomerations, which are the primary drivers of unsustainable land use trends in recent years. In terms of less restrictive laws, grazing lands are the ones that are easiest to obtain for developmental purposes. The livestock sector is also booming in ...
Read More
Rapid urbanisation has led to emergence of urban agglomerations, which are the primary drivers of unsustainable land use trends in recent years. In terms of less restrictive laws, grazing lands are the ones that are easiest to obtain for developmental purposes. The livestock sector is also booming in terms of its production and trade because of the emergence of these agglomerations. Furthermore climate variability adds more strain on the already available grazing lands. As a result, the interplay between these factors and their resulting impact on grazing resources are a major source of concern for policy makers. The study looked at the effect of urban population density and the development of 1 million+, 5 million+, and 10 million+ agglomerations on grazing footprint for fifty countries with the highest level of permanent pasture over a period of 17 years (2000-2016). The study has also taken into consideration the livestock trade, climate variability and few other control variables to understand the true impact of the urbanisation indicators. According to the empirical findings, agglomerations of 5 million+ are the most sustainable in terms of resource usage from gazing and all other land types. However other agglomerations are quite unsustainable in their land use, necessitating stringent environmental policies to govern their land use patterns. Because of poor environmental governance in these countries, establishing comprehensive policies targeting land use and clearing is challenging.
Climate Change
Mannava V. K. SIVAKUMAR
Abstract
Over the last three decades, climate change has emerged as one of the most crucial issues for humankind, with serious implications for sustainable development. In recent decades, changes in climate have caused the impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans. Human ...
Read More
Over the last three decades, climate change has emerged as one of the most crucial issues for humankind, with serious implications for sustainable development. In recent decades, changes in climate have caused the impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans. Human activities are estimated to have caused approximately 1.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels, with a likely range of 0.8°C to 1.2°C. Global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate. Climate change increases variability in the water cycle, inducing extreme weather events such as droughts and more erratic storms, reducing the predictability of water availability, affecting water quality and threatening sustainable development and biodiversity worldwide. Agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to climate change due to its high dependence on climate and weather. It is important to determine the impacts of climate change on water resources in order to develop possible adaptation strategies to improve water productivity. This paper discusses the observed climate change over the past few decades; the climate change-induced impacts, such as rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns, increased droughts, and more erratic storms; the future climate change; the climate change impacts on water productivity; and the strategies to improve the water productivity such as improved policies, emphasis on sustainability, improving water resource management and use of appropriate models.
Climate Change
Bintul Huda Mir; M. A. Lone; Rohitashw Kumar; Somayeh Rahimi Khoshouei
Abstract
The Himalayas are one of the important and highest mountain ranges of the world spread over several countries. The region is rich in biodiversity and water resources. It is known as the third pole because of the largest glacier and ice reserve outside the two poles. This complex zone is highly critical ...
Read More
The Himalayas are one of the important and highest mountain ranges of the world spread over several countries. The region is rich in biodiversity and water resources. It is known as the third pole because of the largest glacier and ice reserve outside the two poles. This complex zone is highly critical and sensitive to the temperature fluctuations which is clearly visible in the changing dynamics of the glaciers present in the Himalayan region. Glaciers are an ideal sensor in this highly glaciated region to detect the causes and impacts of global warming. They form the backbone of this ecosystem especially the economy which makes the studies of the glaciers and climate change more important. This paper reviews the changing climatic scenario of the region with emphasis on the impacts on the glacier reserves. Various research findings have been put forth such as changing stream flows, decreased precipitation, increased frequency of extreme climate events, glacier shrinkage, expansion of glacier lakes and the glacier lake outburst floods. This detailed review of the previous studies will help in formulating the required strategies and management practices in the Himalayan region especially the water resources.
Climate Change
Samir A. Al-Gamal
Abstract
Climate change is probably going to affect groundwater resources, in Sub-Saharan ccountries (SSA) in Africa either directly, by means of changing precipitation patterns, or indirectly through the combination of changing precipitation patterns with evolving land-use practices and water request. West Africa ...
Read More
Climate change is probably going to affect groundwater resources, in Sub-Saharan ccountries (SSA) in Africa either directly, by means of changing precipitation patterns, or indirectly through the combination of changing precipitation patterns with evolving land-use practices and water request. West Africa has, over the past few decades, experienced a sharp decline in rainfall and average annual flow of watercourses. A break in the rainfall pattern was observed around 1968-1972. 1970 is considered as the turning point after which the decline in average rainfall worsened from minus 15% to minus 30% depending on the zone. This situation led to the drifting of isohyets by about 200 km to the south. A 1°C increment in temperature could change overflow by 10%, expecting that precipitation levels stay consistent. Any reduction in groundwater recharge will intensify the impact of sea-level rise in coastal aquifers. For various reasons and at various levels, West African countries are dependent on one another. Over the past few decades, this interdependence has not only generated tension, but has also led to a dialogue and cooperation process. Only one country (Burkina Faso) are below the international standard for water scarcity (1,700 m3 of renewable fresh water per year per person); On the other hand, there are major problems in terms of availability at the desired time and place. According to the Global Water Partnership, the withdrawal level of renewable water resources in West Africa (excluding Cameroon and Chad) is currently at 11 billion m3 per year for an available 1,300 billion m3, which is less than 1%. Agriculture uses 75% of these withdrawals, domestic consumption 17%, and industry 7%. Although it is by far the highest in proportion, agricultural use of water resources is low. Out of the 75.5 million hectares of arable land in West Africa, only 1.2% (917,000 ha) is developed for irrigation, and 0.8% (635,000 ha) is used effectively.
Climate Change
Samir A. Al-Gamal
Abstract
The water resources in Africa is very sensitive to climate changes and climate variability. Over 95 percent of Africa’s agriculture is rain-fed and rural populations depend on agriculture and other natural resources for their livelihoods, and their crops are sensitive to the small changes in temperature ...
Read More
The water resources in Africa is very sensitive to climate changes and climate variability. Over 95 percent of Africa’s agriculture is rain-fed and rural populations depend on agriculture and other natural resources for their livelihoods, and their crops are sensitive to the small changes in temperature and rainfall regimes. Climate change is expected to alter not only the hydrological cycle, temperature balance, and the rainfall patterns across Africa but also has the potential to add to existing pressure on basin biodiversity, basin biological and water productivity. Africa has experienced at least one major drought each decade over the past 30 years. Climatologists have underlined the high year-to-year inconstancy of precipitation sums and the related dry season time frames and warmth waves. It is expected that worldwide there will be a 40 percent increase in demand for water by 2030. Major concerns for the water sector in Africa include the limited access to water, including groundwater, and limited governance capacity. Excessive pumping of shallow aquifers in Africa may bring about saltwater intrusion only as contamination of groundwater, lakes, and decrease in hydropower vitality as an immediate outcome to climatic changes and may prompts genuine water disputes. Water management is a pressing challenge, which, if not improved now, could see its problems greatly exacerbated in a future, warmer climate.
Climate Change
Noureddine Gaaloul; Saeid Eslamian; Rim Katlance
Abstract
This study seeks to assess the effects of climate change on the agriculture sector across a number of Southern Mediterranean countries and evaluate relevant policy measures addressing these challenges for the region. Agriculture is dependent on land and water use, and key activity for rural populations ...
Read More
This study seeks to assess the effects of climate change on the agriculture sector across a number of Southern Mediterranean countries and evaluate relevant policy measures addressing these challenges for the region. Agriculture is dependent on land and water use, and key activity for rural populations over large areas in Southern Mediterranean Countries. Water resources are essential to a stable agricultural production, but also to the supply of growing cities. In this region, it is likely that the stress imposed by climate change to agriculture has contributed to the reduction water availability. Adaptation is a key factor that will shape the future severity of climate change impacts on food production. Food and nutrition security presents a significant challenge for these Southern Mediterranean countries. Agriculture, which accounts for 70 percent of all water uses, is increasingly required to ‘make its case’ for its share of water to enable food production and ensure food security. At the same time, the sustainability of agricultural water use is under increasing scrutiny. In recent decades, attempts to solve the growing water issues have focused on management issues without considering the governance dimension, and mostly on a sectoral basis. While successful in many ways, this approach seems to have reached its limits. This paper describes the first comprehensive assessments of climate change and its impacts in Eastern and Western Mediterranean Countries, covering different sectors, ranging from physical climate drivers as temperature and precipitation, to agriculture, forests, and from water resources to social impacts and policy evaluation. The evidence provided suggests the need for more effective adaptation measures for the agriculture sector across Eastern (Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine) and Western (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) of south Mediterranean countries. Southern Mediterranean Countries are affected by climate change. This is associated with increases in the frequency and intensity of droughts and hot weather conditions. Since the region is diverse and extreme climate conditions are already common, the impacts are disproportional. The impacts of climate change on Southern Mediterranean Countries water resources are significant. Climate induced changes in precipitation and air temperature lead to earlier timing of peak flows, greater frequency of flooding, and more extreme drought conditions. Rainfall in these countries is even expected to increase in winter, while decreasing in spring and summer, with a substantial increase of the number of days without rainfall. Anticipated regional impacts of climate change include heat stress, associated with poor air quality in the urban environment, combined with increasing scarcity of fresh water and decreasing water productivity in arid regions.This study seeks to assess the effects of climate change on the agriculture sector across a number of southern Mediterranean countries and evaluate relevant policy measures addressing these challenges for the region.
