Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Europe
Recent trends suggest that streamflow discharge is diminishing in many rivers of Southern Europe and that interannual variability is increasing. This threatens to aggravate water scarcity problems that periodically arise in this region, because both effects will deteriorate the performance of reserv...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/1/85 |
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| author | Alfredo Granados Alvaro Sordo-Ward Bolívar Paredes-Beltrán Luis Garrote |
| author_facet | Alfredo Granados Alvaro Sordo-Ward Bolívar Paredes-Beltrán Luis Garrote |
| author_sort | Alfredo Granados |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent trends suggest that streamflow discharge is diminishing in many rivers of Southern Europe and that interannual variability is increasing. This threatens to aggravate water scarcity problems that periodically arise in this region, because both effects will deteriorate the performance of reservoirs, decreasing their reliable yield. Reservoir storage is the key infrastructure to overcome variability and to enhance water availability in semiarid climates. This paper presents an analysis of the role of reservoir storage in preserving water availability under climate change scenarios. The study is focused on 16 major Southern European basins. Potential water availability was calculated in these basins under current condition and for 35 different climatic projections for the period 2070–2100. The results show that the expected reduction of water availability is comparable to the decrease of the mean annual flow in basins with large storage capacity. For basins with small storage, the expected reduction of water availability is larger than the reduction of mean annual flow. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out by replicating the analysis assuming variable reservoir volumes from 25% to 175% of current storage. The results show that increasing storage capacity attenuates the reduction of water availability and reduces its uncertainty under climate change projections. This feature would allow water managers to develop suitable policies to mitigate the impacts of climate change, thus enhancing the resilience of the system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:34:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-894d14abc03c495b82da89815409ec4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:34:01Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-894d14abc03c495b82da89815409ec4d2023-11-21T07:43:31ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412021-01-011318510.3390/w13010085Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern EuropeAlfredo Granados0Alvaro Sordo-Ward1Bolívar Paredes-Beltrán2Luis Garrote3Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Hidráulica, Energía y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Civil, Hidráulica, Energía y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Civil, Hidráulica, Energía y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Civil, Hidráulica, Energía y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainRecent trends suggest that streamflow discharge is diminishing in many rivers of Southern Europe and that interannual variability is increasing. This threatens to aggravate water scarcity problems that periodically arise in this region, because both effects will deteriorate the performance of reservoirs, decreasing their reliable yield. Reservoir storage is the key infrastructure to overcome variability and to enhance water availability in semiarid climates. This paper presents an analysis of the role of reservoir storage in preserving water availability under climate change scenarios. The study is focused on 16 major Southern European basins. Potential water availability was calculated in these basins under current condition and for 35 different climatic projections for the period 2070–2100. The results show that the expected reduction of water availability is comparable to the decrease of the mean annual flow in basins with large storage capacity. For basins with small storage, the expected reduction of water availability is larger than the reduction of mean annual flow. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out by replicating the analysis assuming variable reservoir volumes from 25% to 175% of current storage. The results show that increasing storage capacity attenuates the reduction of water availability and reduces its uncertainty under climate change projections. This feature would allow water managers to develop suitable policies to mitigate the impacts of climate change, thus enhancing the resilience of the system.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/1/85climate changereservoir performancewater availabilitywater resources |
| spellingShingle | Alfredo Granados Alvaro Sordo-Ward Bolívar Paredes-Beltrán Luis Garrote Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Europe Water climate change reservoir performance water availability water resources |
| title | Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Europe |
| title_full | Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Europe |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Europe |
| title_short | Exploring the Role of Reservoir Storage in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Europe |
| title_sort | exploring the role of reservoir storage in enhancing resilience to climate change in southern europe |
| topic | climate change reservoir performance water availability water resources |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/1/85 |
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