Modelling the effects of land-cover changes on surface climate in the Mediterranean region

Nowadays, the Mediterranean freshwater systems face the threat of water scarcity, along with multiple other stressors (e.g., organic and inorganic contamination, geomorphological alterations, invasive species), leading to the impairment of their ecosystem services. All these stressors have been speeding up, due to climate variability and land cover/ land use changes, turning them into a big challenge for the water management plans. The present study analyses the physicochemical and phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a) dynamics of a large reservoir, in the Mediterranean region (Alqueva reservoir, Southern Portugal), under diverse meteorological conditions and land cover/land use real scenarios (2017 and 2018). The most important stressors were identified and the necessary tools and information for a more effective management plan were provided. Changes in these parameters were further related to the observed variations in the meteorological conditions and in the land cover/land use. The increase in nutrients and ions in the water column, and of potentially toxic metals in the sediment, were more obvious in periods of severe drought. Further, the enhancement of nutrients concentrations, potentially caused by the intensification of agricultural activities, may indicate an increased risk of water eutrophication. The results highlight that a holistic approach is essential for a better water resources management strategy.

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CHANGES IN PARAMETERIZATIONS OF REGIONAL CLIMATE MODEL REGCM4.4.5: THE ROLE OF LAND COVER ON REGIONAL CLIMATE OVER MEDITERRANEAN

Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece ◽

10.12681/bgsg.11811 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1062

Author(s):

K. Velikou ◽

K. Tolika ◽

Ch. Anagnostopoulou

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Regional Climate Model ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Climate Model ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Mediterranean Forests ◽

The Mediterranean

A parameter that affects significantly the local, regional and global climate system is land cover and the changes that may occur to it. During winter season, heavy precipitation assists vegetation growth of Mediterranean forests and woodlands, whereas during summer, absence of precipitation and severe heat waves result to arid and semiarid vegetation. For that reason, it was quite interesting to track the changes that may occur in the climate of the Mediterranean region due to land cover/land use changes on regional climate over the Mediterranean region. The main objective of the study is the assessment of the impacts of land cover/land use changes on regional climate over the Mediterranean region. The examined regional climate model used in the study is RegCM4.4.5. Its spatial resolution is 25x25km and different simulations were performed with changes in land cover/land use for the time period 1981-1990. The different simulated data were compared in order to examine the modifications that occur from land cover/land use changes in evapotranspiration and surface albedo to direct and diffuse radiation in the domain of study.

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Validation and Inter-Comparison of Spaceborne Derived Global and Continental Land Cover Products for the Mediterranean Region: The Case of Thessaly

Land ◽

10.3390/land6020034 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 34 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ioannis Manakos ◽

Christina Karakizi ◽

Ioannis Gkinis ◽

Konstantinos Karantzalos

Keyword(s):

Land Cover ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

The Mediterranean

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Investigating Decadal Changes of Multiple Hydrological Products and Land-Cover Changes in the Mediterranean Region for 2009–2018

Earth Systems and Environment ◽

10.1007/s41748-021-00213-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wenzhao Li ◽

Sachi Perera ◽

Erik Linstead ◽

Rejoice Thomas ◽

Hesham El-Askary ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Land Cover ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Surface Soil ◽

The North ◽

Land Data Assimilation ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Land Data Assimilation System ◽

Data Assimilation System

AbstractLand-cover change is a critical concern due to its climatic, ecological, and socioeconomic consequences. In this study, we used multiple variables including precipitation, vegetation index, surface soil moisture, and evapotranspiration obtained from different satellite sources to study their association with land-cover changes in the Mediterranean region. Both observational and modeling data were used for climatology and correlation analysis. Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Land Data Assimilation System (FLDAS) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) were used to extract surface soil moisture and evapotranspiration data. Intercomparing the results of FLDAS and GLDAS suggested that FLDAS data had better accuracy compared to GLDAS for its better coherence with observational data. Climate Hazards Group Infra-Red Precipitation with Station Data (version 2.0 final) (CHIRPS Pentad) were used to extract precipitation data while Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products were used to extract the vegetation indices used in this study. The land-cover change detection was demonstrated during the 2009–2018 period using MODIS Land-Cover data. Some of the barren and crop lands in Euphrates-Tigris and Algeria have converted to low-vegetated shrublands over the time, while shrublands and barren areas in Egypt’s southwestern Delta region became grasslands. These observations were well explained by changing trends of hydrological variables which showed that precipitation and soil moisture had higher values in the countries located to the east of the Mediterranean region compared to the ones on the west. For evapotranspiration, the countries in the north had lower values except for countries in Europe such as Bosnia, Romania, Slovenia, and countries in Africa such as Egypt and Libya. The enhanced vegetation index appeared to be decreasing from north to south, with countries in the north such as Germany, Romania, and Czechia having higher values, while countries in the south such as Libya, Egypt, and Iraq having lower trends. Time series analysis for selected countries was also done to understand the change in hydrological parameters, including Enhanced Vegetation Index, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture, which showed alternating drop and rise as well as stagnant values for different parameters in each country.

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