We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Analyzing the hydrologic effects of region-wide land and water development interventions: a case study of the Upper Blue Nile basin.
- Authors
Haregeweyn, Nigussie; Tsunekawa, Atsushi; Tsubo, Mitsuru; Meshesha, Derege; Adgo, Enew; Poesen, Jean; Schütt, Brigitta
- Abstract
In the drylands of the Upper Blue Nile basin, high climate variability and land degradation are rampant. To enhance adaptive capacity in the region, various soil and water conservation interventions have been implemented. Moreover, water resources development schemes such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam should be implemented by 2025. We modeled the effects of these interventions on surface runoff in the basin for both current and future (2025) basin conditions, using the runoff coefficient method in a spatially explicit approach. Under current conditions, we observed high spatial variability of mean annual runoff. The northeastern Blue Nile-1 sub-basin produces the highest mean annual runoff (391 mm or 10 × 10 m), whereas the northwestern Blue Nile-2 sub-basin produces the lowest mean annual runoff (178 mm or 0.2 × 10 m). The basin generates a total annual runoff volume of 47.7 × 10 m, of which about 54 % comes from cultivated land. The strong association between land use and topography masked the direct effect of rainfall on runoff. By 2025, total annual runoff yield could decrease by up to 38 % if appropriate basin-wide soil and water conservation interventions and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are implemented. However, the full effects of most physical structures will only last for 1 or 2 years without regular maintenance. The improved understanding of the dynamics of the Upper Blue Nile basin's hydrology provided by the present study will help planners to design appropriate management scenarios. Developing the basin's database remains important for a holistic understanding of the impacts of future development interventions.
- Subjects
BLUE Nile River (Ethiopia &; Sudan); LAND use; INTEGRATED water development; HYDROLOGY; WATER conservation
- Publication
Regional Environmental Change, 2016, Vol 16, Issue 4, p951
- ISSN
1436-3798
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10113-015-0813-2