scholarly journals Water Level Regulation for Eco-social Services Under Climate Change in Erhai Lake Over the Past 68 years in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihao Wen ◽  
Yiwei Ma ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Yu Cao ◽  
Changbo Yuan ◽  
...  

Water level plays a crucial role in the function and social services of lakes. Studies on historical changes in water level and its eco-social function can give insights into future water conservation and management. In this study, interannual and seasonal changes in the water level of Erhai Lake were analyzed from 1952 to 2019 to explore water level responses to human activities and climate change. The time series was divided into three distinct periods, i.e., 1952–1971, 1972–2003, and 2004–2019. Results showed that the water level and fluctuation amplitude differed among the different time periods, i.e., 1965.8 and 1.3 m (1952–1971), 1964.4 and 1.9 m (1972–2003), and 1965.2 and 1.2 m (1972–2003), respectively. The construction and operation of a hydroelectric power plant along the outlet river significantly decreased the water level and increased fluctuation amplitude in the 1972–2003 period. Since 2004, due to the implementation of local government water level management laws for Erhai Lake, the water level has remained relatively high, with moderate fluctuation amplitude. In addition, compared to the increase in water level amplitude in response to increased wet season (May–October) precipitation in the 1952–1971 period, response sensitivity increased in the 1972–2003 period, but became non-significant in the 2004–2019 period. In regard to the multi-timescale relationship between water level and precipitation, precipitation decreased by 89 mm in the 2004–2019 period compared with that from 1952 to 1971, and artificial water-level regulation resulted in a time-lag of 2, 3–3.5, and 4 months between water level and precipitation during the 1952–1971, 1972–2003, and 2004–2019 periods, respectively. The eco-social aspects of changes in water level are discussed below, and water level regulation from an ecological perspective is recommended to gain economic returns in the future.

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Huaxin Wu ◽  
Shengrui Wang ◽  
Tao Wu ◽  
Bo Yao ◽  
Zhaokui Ni

Climate change and human activities cause lake water level (WL) fluctuations to exceed natural thresholds, with implications for the available water resources. Studies that explore WL change trends and the main driving forces that affect water level changes are essential for future lake water resource planning. This study uses the Mann–Kendall trend test method to explore the WL fluctuations trend and WL mutation in Erhai Lake (EL) during 1990–2019 and explore the main driving factors affecting water level changes, such as characteristic WL adjustments. We also use the principal component analysis to quantify the contribution of compound influencing factors to the water level change in different periods. The results showed that the WL rose at a rate of 47 mm/a during 1990–2019 but was influenced by the characteristic WL adjustment of EL in 2004 and the WL mutation in 2005. In 1990–2004, the WL showed a downtrend caused by the increase in water resource development and utilization intensity, and in 2005–2019, the WL showed an uptrend caused by the combined decrease in evaporation, outflow, and the increase in water supply for water conservancy projects. Additionally, the largest contributions of outflow to WL change were 19.34% and 21.61% in 1990–2019 and 1990–2004, respectively, while the largest contribution of cultivated area to WL change was 20.48% in 2005–2019, and it is worth noting that the largest contribution of climate change to WL change was 40.35% in 2013–2019. In the future, under the increase in outflow and evaporation and the interception of inflow, the WL will decline (Hurst exponent = 0.048). Therefore, planning for the protection and management of lakes should consider the impact of human activities, while also paying attention to the influence of climate change.


2002 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 989-994
Author(s):  
Shinichiro Endo ◽  
Masami Konishi ◽  
Hirosuke Imabayashi ◽  
Hayami Sugiyama

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivek Shandas ◽  
Meenakshi Rao ◽  
Moriah McSharry McGrath

Social and behavioral research is crucial for securing environmental sustainability and improving human living environments. Although the majority of people now live in urban areas, we have limited empirical evidence of the anticipated behavioral response to climate change. Using empirical data on daily household residential water use and temperature, our research examines the implications of future climate conditions on water conservation behavior in 501 households within the Portland (OR) metropolitan region. We ask whether and how much change in ambient temperatures impact residential household water use, while controlling for taxlot characteristics. Based on our results, we develop a spatially explicit description about the changes in future water use for the study region using a downscaled future climate scenario. The results suggest that behavioral responses are mediated by an interaction of household structural attributes, and magnitude and temporal variability of weather parameters. These findings have implications for the way natural resource managers and planning bureaus prepare for and adapt to future consequences of climate change.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaib Lwasa

Africa’s urbanization rate has increased steadily over the past three decades and is reported to be faster than in any other region in the world . It is estimated that by 2030, over half of the African population will be living in urban areas . But the nature of Africa’s urbanization and subsequent form of cities is yet to be critically analyzed in the context of city authorities’ readiness to address the challenges . Evidence is also suggesting that urbanization in African countries is increasingly associated with the high economic growth that has been observed in the last two decades . Both underlying and proximate drivers are responsible for the urbanization, and these include population dynamics, economic growth, legislative designation, increasing densities in rural centers, as well as the growth of mega cities such as Lagos, Cairo and Kinshasa, that are extending to form urban corridors . With the opportunities of urbanization in Sub–Saharan Africa, there are also challenges in the development and management of these cities . Those challenges include provision of social services, sustainable economic development, housing development, urban governance, spatial development guidance and environmental management, climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction . The challenge involves dealing with the development and infrastructure deficit, in addition to required adaption to and mitigation of climate change . This paper examines the current state of urban management in Africa .


2004 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Tyler W. Smith ◽  
George W. Douglas ◽  
Allan G. Harris

In Canada, Lipocarpha micrantha has been documented at eight locations in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Four of these populations have apparently been extirpated. The remaining populations, ranging from 120 to approximately 40000 plants, are all northern disjuncts from the main range of this species. Threats to these populations include water level regulation and shoreline development. Considering the threats to the habitat of Lipocarpha micrantha, and the small size of most of the remaining populations, it has been designated an Endangered species in Canada.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Boyers ◽  
Francesca Parrini ◽  
Norman Owen-Smith ◽  
Barend F. N. Erasmus ◽  
Robyn S. Hetem

AbstractSouthern Africa is expected to experience increased frequency and intensity of droughts through climate change, which will adversely affect mammalian herbivores. Using bio-loggers, we tested the expectation that wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), a grazer with high water-dependence, would be more sensitive to drought conditions than the arid-adapted gemsbok (Oryx gazella gazella). The study, conducted in the Kalahari, encompassed two hot-dry seasons with similar ambient temperatures but differing rainfall patterns during the preceding wet season. In the drier year both ungulates selected similar cooler microclimates, but wildebeest travelled larger distances than gemsbok, presumably in search of water. Body temperatures in both species reached lower daily minimums and higher daily maximums in the drier season but daily fluctuations were wider in wildebeest than in gemsbok. Lower daily minimum body temperatures displayed by wildebeest suggest that wildebeest were under greater nutritional stress than gemsbok. Moving large distances when water is scarce may have compromised the energy balance of the water dependent wildebeest, a trade-off likely to be exacerbated with future climate change.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendri Irwandi ◽  
Mohammad Syamsu Rosid ◽  
Terry Mart

AbstractThis research quantitatively and qualitatively analyzes the factors responsible for the water level variations in Lake Toba, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. According to several studies carried out from 1993 to 2020, changes in the water level were associated with climate variability, climate change, and human activities. Furthermore, these studies stated that reduced rainfall during the rainy season due to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the continuous increase in the maximum and average temperatures were some of the effects of climate change in the Lake Toba catchment area. Additionally, human interventions such as industrial activities, population growth, and damage to the surrounding environment of the Lake Toba watershed had significant impacts in terms of decreasing the water level. However, these studies were unable to determine the factor that had the most significant effect, although studies on other lakes worldwide have shown these factors are the main causes of fluctuations or decreases in water levels. A simulation study of Lake Toba's water balance showed the possibility of having a water surplus until the mid-twenty-first century. The input discharge was predicted to be greater than the output; therefore, Lake Toba could be optimized without affecting the future water level. However, the climate projections depicted a different situation, with scenarios predicting the possibility of extreme climate anomalies, demonstrating drier climatic conditions in the future. This review concludes that it is necessary to conduct an in-depth, comprehensive, and systematic study to identify the most dominant factor among the three that is causing the decrease in the Lake Toba water level and to describe the future projected water level.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document