scholarly journals Robust Climate Change Adaptation for Environmental Flows in the Goulburn River, Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew John ◽  
Avril Horne ◽  
Rory Nathan ◽  
Keirnan Fowler ◽  
J. Angus Webb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Targeted Delivery ◽  
Stress Testing ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Adaptation Options

Climate change presents severe risks for the implementation and success of environmental flows worldwide. Current environmental flow assessments tend to assume climate stationarity, so there is an urgent need for robust environmental flow programs that allow adaptation to changing flow regimes due to climate change. Designing and implementing robust environmental flow programs means ensuring environmental objectives are achieved under a range of uncertain, but plausible climate futures. We apply stress testing concepts previously adopted in water supply management to environmental flows at a catchment scale. We do this by exploring vulnerabilities in different river management metrics for current environmental flow arrangements in the Goulburn River, Australia, under non-stationary climatic conditions. Given the limitations of current environmental flows in supporting ecological outcomes under climate change, we tested three different adaptation options individually and in combination. Stress testing adaptation results showed that increasing environmental entitlements yielded the largest benefits in drier climate futures, whereas relaxing river capacity constraints (allowing more targeted delivery of environmental water) offered more benefits for current and wetter climates. Combining both these options led to greater than additive improvements in allocation reliability and reductions in environmental water shortfalls, and these improvements were achieved across a wider range of climatic conditions than possible with either of the individual options. However, adaptation may present additional risks to some ecological outcomes for wetter climates. Ultimately, there was a degree of plausible climate change beyond which none of the adaptation options considered were effective at improving ecological outcomes. This study demonstrates an important step for environmental flow assessments: evaluating the feasibility of environmental outcomes under climate change, and the intervention options that prove most robust under an uncertain future.

scholarly journals From an irrigation system to an ecological asset: adding environmental flows establishes recovery of a threatened fish species

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 1295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivor Stuart ◽  
Clayton Sharpe ◽  
Kathryn Stanislawski ◽  
Anna Parker ◽  
Martin Mallen-Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
Murray Cod ◽  
Riverine Fish

Worldwide, riverine fish are the target of environmental water because populations have declined in lotic river habitats following river regulation. Murray cod is an endangered Australian riverine fish with remaining populations associated with lotic river reaches with instream habitat, including some creeks operated as part of irrigation systems. Our objectives were to develop a life history model, apply the building block method of environmental flows to enhance the abundance of juvenile Murray cod and promote population recovery. From 2008 to 2018 we evaluated changes to Murray cod juvenile abundance before and after implementation of a perennial environmental flow regime that began in 2013. During the first year of the environmental flow, larvae were collected as evidence of spawning. Murray cod abundance can be enhanced with environmental flows that target: (1) an annual spring spawning or recruitment flow with no rapid water level drops; (2) maximising hydrodynamic complexity (i.e. flowing habitats that are longitudinally continuous and hydrodynamically complex); and (3) an annual base winter connection flow. Recognition that incorporating hydraulics (water level and velocity) at fine and coarse time scales, over spatial scales that reflect life histories, provides broader opportunities to expand the scope of environmental flows to help restore imperilled fish species in regulated ecosystems.

scholarly journals Advancing the Science of Environmental Flow Management for Protection of Temporarily Closed Estuaries and Coastal Lagoons

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 595
Author(s):  
Eric D. Stein ◽  
Eleanor M. Gee ◽  
Janine B. Adams ◽  
Katie Irving ◽  
Lara Van Niekerk
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
Hydrologic Alteration ◽  
Tight Coupling ◽  
Flow Management ◽  
Management Actions

The science needed to inform management of environmental flows to temporarily closed estuaries and coastal lagoons is decades behind the state of knowledge for rivers and large embayments. These globally ubiquitous small systems, which are often seasonally closed to the ocean’s influence, are under particular threat associated with hydrologic alteration because of changes in atershed land use, water use practices, and climate change. Managing environmental flows in these systems is complicated by their tight coupling with watershed processes, variable states because of intermittently closing mouths, and reliance on regional scale sediment transport and littoral processes. Here we synthesize our current understanding of ecohydrology in temporarily closed estuaries (TCEs) and coastal lagoons and propose a prioritized research agenda aimed at advancing understanding of ecological responses to altered flow regimes in TCEs. Key research needs include agreeing on a consistent typology, improving models that couple watershed and ocean forcing at appropriate spatial and temporal scales, quantifying stress–response relationships associated with hydrologic alteration, improving tools to establish desired conditions that account for climate change and consider cultural/indigenous objectives, improving tools to measure ecosystem function and social/cultural values, and developing monitoring and adaptive management programs that can inform environmental flow management in consideration of other stressors and across different habitat types. Coordinated global efforts to address the identified research gaps can help guide management actions aimed at reducing or mitigating potential impacts of hydrologic alteration and climate change through informed management of freshwater inflows.

scholarly journals What do Environmental Flows Mean for Long-term Freshwater Ecosystems’ Protection? Assessment of the Mexican Water Reserves for the Environment Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1240
Author(s):  
Sergio A. Salinas-Rodríguez ◽  
Everardo Barba-Macías ◽  
Dulce Infante Mata ◽  
Mariana Zareth Nava-López ◽  
Iris Neri-Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Ecological Protection ◽  
Mexican Government

Almost a decade ago, the Mexican government targeted to establish environmental water reserves (EWR)—a volume of water allocated for ecological protection based on the Environmental Flow Mexican Norm (eflows, NMX-AA-159-SCFI-2012, ratified in 2017)—in strategic low-pressured for water use and high conservation importance river basins throughout the country. To date, 12 EWRs have been declared for up to 50 years, which encompass 295 river basins and ~55% of the national mean annual runoff (MAR). In this article, we conducted a quality evaluation of the EWRs established. First, the EWR level was analyzed against the MAR and according to wider hydrological conditions. The EWR fulfillment was evaluated by comparing the volumes enacted against the theoretical (Norm implementation). Our findings revealed that independently of individual and regional water use and conservation merits context, ~75% of the EWRs met theoretical volumes at least at an acceptable level, of which medians ranged from 24% to 73% MAR (natural parametrization and A–D environmental objectives). These outcomes prove the usefulness and consistency of the Mexican strategic hierarchical approach for eflow assessments. We aim for them to be considered as the baseline for future on-site eflow implementation and environmental water policy assessments, to show the nationwide potential benefits for protecting free-flowing rivers and to encourage a regional escalation of the strategy.

scholarly journals New Integrated Hydrologic Approach for the Assessment of Rivers Environmental Flows Into the Urmia Lake

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Mobadersani ◽  
Ali Hosseinzadeh Dalir ◽  
Mehdi Yasi ◽  
Hadi Arvanaghi ◽  
Mark Kennard
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
Urmia Lake ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Lake Urmia ◽  
Monthly Basis ◽  
Environmental Requirement

Abstract In the conducted researches recently the greatest focus has been on the environmental water supplement of rivers individually and independently. However, in closed basins leading to lakes and wetlands, a comprehensive and integrated view of all rivers in the basin is required simultaneously. This has affected Lake Urmia, which is the second largest saltwater lake in the world. This lake has been in danger of drying up in recent years as a result of not allocating the required environmental flow due to the increase in water resources consumption in the agricultural sector and climate change. In this study, a method derived from the flow duration curve (FDC) shifting method is presented in addition to the possibility of providing the environmental flow of rivers leading to the lake that can make the least amount of change in the hydrological characteristics of rivers to provide the volume of required water by the ecosystem of lakes or downstream wetlands. This method is based on daily data of hydrometric stations and, unlike the conventional method, which presents the results on a monthly basis, it can calculate the amount of environmental requirement of rivers in real-time according to the upstream inlet of the river. This method has been used in the Urmia Lake basin and according to the results, it can provide the environmental requirement of lake by allocating 70.5% of the annual flow of rivers and save the lake and the ecosystem of the region from the current critical conditions.

scholarly journals Environmental flow assessment in the context of climate change: a case study in Southern Quebec (Canada)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laureline Berthot ◽  
André St-Hilaire ◽  
Daniel Caissie ◽  
Nassir El-Jabi ◽  
Judith Kirby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Water Abstraction ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Through a case study in Southern Quebec (Canada), the assessment of environmental flows in light of the effects of climate change is investigated. Currently, the 7Q2 flow metric (7-day average flow with a 2-year return period) is used for water abstraction management. Several flow metrics were calculated using flow time series simulated by a deterministic hydrological model (HYDROTEL) and climate change scenarios as inputs. Results were compared within homogeneous low flow regions defined using ascendant hierarchical clustering, for the 1990, 2020 and 2050 horizons and annual, summer and winter periods. The impact of each flow metric on the potential availability of physical habitat was analyzed using the wetted perimeter as a proxy. Results indicated that: (1) the increasing non-stationarity of simulated flow data sets over time will complicate the use of frequency analysis to calculate the 7Q2 flow metric; (2) summer low flow values are expected to be lower than winter low flows; and (3) flow-duration curve metrics like the LQ50 (median discharge value of the month with the lowest flow) may become relevant environmental flow metrics by 2050. Results question current water abstraction management tools and permit to anticipate future local and regional issues during low flow periods.

scholarly journals Cost and benefit analysis of adoption of climate change adaptation options among rural rice farmers in Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 136-148
Author(s):  
Niranjan Devkota ◽  
Ram Kumar Phuyal ◽  
Durga Lal Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Cost And Benefit ◽  
Rice Farmers ◽  
Hilly Region ◽  
Cost And Benefit Analysis ◽  
Adaptation Options

This paper estimates cost and benefit of adoption of climate change adaptation options available to the rural rice farmers of Nepal. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to source respondents for the study and used structured questionnaire techniques to collect data from 773 households from seven districts - 3 from Terai and 4 from Hilly region of Nepal. The result revealed that there are 13 major adaptation options rice farmers practice in order to protect themselves from climatic risk. Among the given adaptation options, the first three costly adaptation options are the alternative irrigation practice which incurred average cost of US $ 69.95 (US$ 1 = 102.84 Nepalese Rupees), followed by denser plantation of local seeds ($ 20.69) and using climate smart varieties ($ 18.06). Nearby 88% farmers practiced more than one adaptation strategies on the same farm with the aim of reducing the effect of extreme climatic conditions. Total cost and revenue revealed that per unit total cost ranges from $ 28.34 to $ 32.79 whereas per unit total revenue ranges $ 33.4 to $ 49.02. Surprisingly, it is observed that farmers who do not adopt any adaptation options are able to received highest income from per unit production.

Water Markets, Environmental Flows, and Adaptation to Climate Change

2015 ◽  
Vol 01 (03) ◽  
pp. 1550016
Author(s):  
Tiho Ancev
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Optimal Allocation ◽  
Water Rights ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Social Benefit ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change

The possibility of climate change and the effects it will have on global and regional hydrology opens up serious questions about how the affected sectors of the economy and the water-dependent environmental assets can best adapt to the new, harsher climatic conditions. One of the possible approaches toward securing environmental water flows is to hold water rights on behalf of the public, and manage those rights for environmental purposes. This type of policy has been in effect in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia, where the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) now has some 20% of all water rights in the basin. Thus far, the use of these water rights has been almost exclusively for environmental purposes, besides the calls for some of the allocations on these water rights to be sold to irrigators. This paper examines whether a change in policy that will allow a more flexible trading behavior of the CEWH so that it can be an active participant in the market for water allocations can help with adaptation to climate change from environmental management perspective, as well as from the perspective of irrigated agriculture industry. This objective is pursued by analyzing the effects of likely hydrological variations under climate change. Key parameters that are taken into account are expected water availability, and the variability in water availability. The discourse is framed within the concept of optimal allocation of water resources so as to maximize overall social benefit from water use. The results indicate that active participation of the CEWH in the water market leads to superior outcomes in terms of both greater overall social benefit, and greater quantity of water being available for environmental purposes under climate change. The key policy implication is that trading rules for CEWH should be relaxed, especially under the projected climate change scenarios.

River management and environmental water allocation in regulated ecosystems of arid and semi-arid regions – A review

2020 ◽  
Vol 193 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-345
Author(s):  
Ehsan Atazadeh ◽  
Andrew Barton ◽  
Mozhgan Shirinpour ◽  
Mahdi Zarghami ◽  
Abbas Rajabifard
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Riverine Ecosystems ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Ecological Benefit ◽  
Semi Arid

Rivers make a significant contribution in providing goods and services for human well-being. Today, many rivers and streams have been heavily regulated to ensure adequate provision of water resources for anthropogenic uses. Riverine ecosystems, especially those in arid and semi-arid regions, are experiencing severe stress due to the increasing demands on the ecosystem services they provide, coupled with anthropogenic catchment-scale impacts and factors associated with natural and human-induced climate variability and change. In this paper, the various flow components in regulated riverine ecosystems and the methods to determine environmental flows are reviewed. The review also focuses on the concurrent developments of eco-hydrological models and on the new opportunities for improving environmental flows of rivers by sustainably adjusting consumptive flows to fine-tune environmental flows and maximize the ecological benefit. In fact, the present paper highlights the role of consumptive flows, towards improving environmental flows, which has largely been neglected by river scientists and water managers. Indeed, consumptive flows can provide an opportunity to improve and support environmental flows in regulated riverine ecosystems. Addressing these challenges may aid water management efforts in finding sustainable solutions in riverine ecosystems by balancing environmental/ecological and human water requirements.

Environmental Flow Estimation of Brunei River Based on Climate Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 097542532110472
Author(s):  
Shahriar Shams ◽  
Md Sumon Reza ◽  
Abul Kalam Azad ◽  
Rozeana Binti Hj. Md. Juani ◽  
Mohammad Abul Fazal
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Flow Estimation ◽  
Brunei Darussalam ◽  
Main Challenge

The concept of environmental flows and its application and enforcement is a main challenge in several developing countries. The services and benefits derived from the ecosystem are indispensable for sustaining the livelihood of people particularly living in coastal areas. Decision-makers often ignore ecosystems when referring to water allocation, as the supporters of ecosystems are less vocal as compared to other stakeholders. This study focuses on establishing guidelines for maintaining the minimum amount of flow known as environmental flow of Brunei River in Brunei Darussalam for the sustainability of its rich ecosystem. In this study, the flow of the river was simulated based on land use, climate change, and potential growth of industries using a Water Evaluation and Planning System as a computing tool. The study finds that the months of March and June (1.48 and 3.92 m3/s) are more vulnerable to low flow. It recommends a threshold value of 2.7 m3/s for the environmental flow of Brunei River essential to preserve its rich and diversified ecosystem.

scholarly journals How to incorporate climate change into modelling environmental water outcomes: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-340
Author(s):  
Andrew John ◽  
Rory Nathan ◽  
Avril Horne ◽  
Michael Stewardson ◽  
J. Angus Webb
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological Responses ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Support Decision Making ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change ◽  
Modelling Approaches

Abstract Environmental water represents a key resource in managing freshwater ecosystems against pervasive threats. The impacts of climate change add further pressures to environmental water management, yet anticipating these impacts through modelling approaches remains challenging due to the complexities of the climate, hydrological and ecological systems. In this paper, we review the challenges posed by each of these three areas. Large uncertainties in predicting climatic changes and non-stationarities in hydrological and ecological responses make anticipating impacts difficult. In addition, a legacy of relying on modelling approaches informed by historic dependencies in environmental water science may confound the prediction of ecological responses when extrapolating under novel conditions. We also discuss applying ecohydrological methods to support decision-making and review applications of bottom-up climate impact assessments (specifically eco-engineering decision scaling) to freshwater ecosystems. These approaches offer a promising way of incorporating climatic uncertainty and balancing competing environmental objectives, but some practical challenges remain in their adoption for modelling environmental water outcomes under climate change.

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