Impacts of climate change on hydrology and water quality: Future proofing management strategies in the Lake Simcoe watershed, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Crossman ◽  
M.N. Futter ◽  
S.K. Oni ◽  
P.G. Whitehead ◽  
L. Jin ◽  
...  
Inland Waters ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Hadiseh Bolkhari ◽  
Leon Boegman ◽  
Ralph E. H. Smith

Author(s):  
Gerald T. Orlob ◽  
Gabriela K. Meyer ◽  
László Somlyódy ◽  
Danuta Jurak ◽  
Karolý Szesztay

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-177
Author(s):  
M. Carvalho ◽  
B. Martins ◽  
J. P. Coelho ◽  
N. Brôco ◽  
A. K. Ribeiro ◽  
...  

Abstract The impacts of climate change on society are becoming increasingly evident. The water sector is sensitive to variations in climatic patterns as it is expected that major changes in flows will occur, along with increased risks of water quality degradation and flooding. According to published climate scenarios the Mediterranean area will become dryer. As a leading group operating in the water sector in Portugal, AdP decided to develop a strategic plan for climate change adaptation with the aim of establishing a strategy for reducing business vulnerability and increasing systems resilience. In developing the plan, a pragmatic method was adopted for characterizing current vulnerabilities. This was founded on the bottom-up approach and supported with past events data, including evaluating their impacts, and the adaptive capacity of systems and utilities to climate extremes. In water supply, the effects of more severe and frequent extreme events are being felt with respect to water quality and availability, representing as much as 80% of the events studied, whereas, in terms of sanitation, floods account for about 90% of events identified. Globally, 78% and 21% of the measures adopted in water supply and wastewater management, respectively, were effective.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 774-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Iacob ◽  
John S. Rowan ◽  
Iain Brown ◽  
Chris Ellis

Climate change is projected to alter river flows and the magnitude/frequency characteristics of floods and droughts. Ecosystem-based adaptation highlights the interdependence of human and natural systems, and the potential to buffer the impacts of climate change by maintaining functioning ecosystems that continue to provide multiple societal benefits. Natural flood management (NFM), emphasising the restoration of innate hydrological pathways, provides important regulating services in relation to both runoff rates and water quality and is heralded as a potentially important climate change adaptation strategy. This paper draws together 25 NFM schemes, providing a meta-analysis of hydrological performance along with a wider consideration of their net (dis) benefits. Increasing woodland coverage, whilst positively linked to peak flow reduction (more pronounced for low magnitude events), biodiversity and carbon storage, can adversely impact other provisioning service – especially food production. Similarly, reversing historical land drainage operations appears to have mixed impacts on flood alleviation, carbon sequestration and water quality depending on landscape setting and local catchment characteristics. Wetlands and floodplain restoration strategies typically have fewer disbenefits and provide improvements for regulating and supporting services. It is concluded that future NFM proposals should be framed as ecosystem-based assessments, with trade-offs considered on a case-by-case basis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Whitehead ◽  
E. Barbour ◽  
M. N. Futter ◽  
S. Sarkar ◽  
H. Rodda ◽  
...  

The potential impacts of climate change and socio-economic change on flow and water quality in rivers worldwide is a key area of interest.


2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Gombault ◽  
C. A. Madramootoo ◽  
A. R. Michaud ◽  
I. Beaudin ◽  
M. F. Sottile ◽  
...  

Gombault, C., Madramootoo, C. A., Michaud, A. R., Beaudin, I., Sottile, M. F., Chikhaoui, M. and Ngwa, F. F. 2015. Impacts of climate change on nutrient losses from the Pike River watershed of southern Québec. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 337–358. The impacts of climate change on water quality in the Pike River watershed, an important contributor of nutrient loads into the northern arm of Lake Champlain, were simulated for the time horizon 2041–2070. Four water quality scenarios were simulated using a calibrated version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) customized to Québec agroclimatic conditions. Three of the scenarios were generated using climate data simulated with the Fourth-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM4). The fourth scenario was generated using the climate simulated with the Arpege Regional Climate Model. Potential mean climate-induced changes in sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen yield projected by these scenarios were then analyzed for the 2050 horizon. In addition, the impacts of the different sources of climate projection uncertainty were assessed by comparing climate model initial conditions, and climate model physical structure effects on the hydrochemical projections. Only one climate scenario projected a significant increase in mean annual total phosphorus [10 metrics tons (t) yr−1 or 14%] and total nitrogen (260 t yr−1 or 17%) loads. However, when shorter time spans (seasonal and monthly scales) were considered, several significant changes were detected, especially in winter. Sediment and nutrient loadings, in winter, were predicted to become three to four times higher than current levels. These increases were attributed to a greater vulnerability of soils to erosion in winter due to the decrease in the snowpack, early onset of spring snowmelt, a greater number of rainfall events, and snowmelt episodes caused by higher winter and spring temperatures.


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