Why increased extreme precipitation under climate change negatively affects water security
<p>An increase in extreme precipitation is projected for many areas worldwide in the coming decades. To assess the impact of increased precipitation intensity on water security, we applied a regional-scale hydrological and soil erosion model, forced with regional climate model projections....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-11-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/22/5935/2018/hess-22-5935-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>An increase in extreme precipitation is projected for many areas
worldwide in the coming decades. To assess the impact of increased
precipitation intensity on water security, we applied a regional-scale
hydrological and soil erosion model, forced with regional climate model
projections. We specifically considered the impact of climate change on the
distribution of water between soil (green water) and surface water (blue
water) compartments. We show that an increase in precipitation intensity
leads to a redistribution of water within the catchment, where water storage
in soil decreases and reservoir inflow increases. This affects plant water
stress and the potential of rainfed versus irrigated agriculture, and
increases dependency on reservoir storage, which is potentially threatened by
increased soil erosion. This study demonstrates the crucial importance of
accounting for the fact that increased precipitation intensity leads to water
redistribution between green and blue water, increased soil erosion, and
reduced water security. Ultimately, this has implications for design of
climate change adaptation measures, which should aim to increase the water
holding capacity of the soil (green water) and to maintain the storage
capacity of reservoirs (blue water), benefiting rainfed and irrigated
agriculture.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |