scholarly journals Hydrological response to climate change in the Lesse and the Vesdre catchments: contribution of a physically based model (Wallonia, Belgium)

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1745-1756 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bauwens ◽  
C. Sohier ◽  
A. Degré
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Return Period ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Distributed Model ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Physically Based Model ◽  
Physically Based ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
North Western

Abstract. The Meuse is an important rain-fed river in North-Western Europe. Nine million people live in its catchment, split over five countries. Projected changes in precipitation and temperature characteristics due to climate change would have a significant impact on the Meuse River and its tributaries. In this study, we focused on the impacts of climate change on the hydrology of two sub-catchments of the Meuse in Belgium, the Lesse and the Vesdre, placing the emphasis on the water-soil-plant continuum in order to highlight the effects of climate change on plant growth, and water uptake on the hydrology of two sub-catchments. These effects were studied using two climate scenarios and a physically based distributed model, which reflects the water-soil-plant continuum. Our results show that the vegetation will evapotranspirate between 10 and 17 % less at the end of the century because of water scarcity in summer, even if the root development is better under climate change conditions. In the low scenario, the mean minimal 7 days discharge value could decrease between 19 and 24 % for a two year return period, and between 20 and 35 % for a fifty year return period. It will lead to rare but severe drought in rivers, with potentially huge consequences on water quality.

scholarly journals The Hydrological response to climate change of the Lesse and the Vesdre catchments (Wallonia, Belgium)

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 7695-7724
Author(s):  
A. Bauwens ◽  
C. Sohier ◽  
A. Degré
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Distributed Model ◽  
Hydrological Response ◽  
Physically Based ◽  
High Flows ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
North Western

Abstract. The Meuse is an important rain-fed river in North-Western Europe. Nine millions of people live in its catchment splited over five countries. Projected changes in precipitation and temperature characteristics due to climate change would have significant impact on the Meuse River and its tributaries. In this study, we focus on two tributaries of the Meuse in Belgium the Lesse and the Vesdre catchments. The physically based, distributed model EPICGrid, a model which reflects water-soil-plant continuum, is driven by four sets of meteorological information. Two time slices (2020–2050 and 2070–2100) and two scenarios (wet and dry) were studied. The meteorological scenarios are produced by the CCI-HYDR Perturbation Tool, a tool specially designed for the Belgian climate and taking into account a broad range of models. Water balance, high-flows and low-flows are calculated. It highlights that towards the end of the century, plants may suffer from water shortage and excess. This may lead to a decrease in evapotranspiration and clear changes in water balances. The seasoning contrast in river discharge may be strongly accentuated.

Peatlands, Past and Present

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Koster ◽  
Tim Favier
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Peat Deposits ◽  
Unconsolidated Material ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Peat Formation ◽  
North Western

Peatlands are fascinating wetland ecosystems. They provide a habitat for a wide range of highly adapted plant and animal species. In addition to the floristic and ornithological richness, peatlands have been recognized for many other values. For instance, drained peatland soils often have good agricultural properties, and peat has been and still is in some places extensively used as fuel. In coastal wetlands peat has even been used for salt extraction. Furthermore, peat is an interesting material for science, as it contains information on the palaeoecological environment, climate change, carbon history, and archaeology. In north-western Europe, peatlands were once quite extensive, covering tens of thousands of square kilometres. However, most of them have been strongly exploited by humans during past centuries. Many peatlands have been cultivated for agriculture and forestry, or have been exploited by commercial or domestic peat extraction for fuel. As a result, only a very small part of north-western Europe’s peatlands remains today in a more or less natural state. This chapter focuses on the peat deposits and peatlands in north-western Europe that have formed since the Late Glacial (c.13 ka BP). First, the most common concepts in peatland terminology are explained, and the distribution of peatlands is described. Next, processes of peat formation and the relationship between peatforming processes and climate, hydrology, vegetation, and other factors are discussed. In the following section, frequently used classification methods are presented. A historical overview of the cultivation and exploitation of peatlands is given and the present land use and characteristics of peatland soils are discussed. The following section deals with methods of conservation and rehabilitation of the remaining mires. The importance of peatlands as palaeoecological archives is examplified. Finally, the role of peatlands as a source and/or sink of CO2 and the relations with climate change are briefly explained. Peat is the unconsolidated material that predominantly consists of slightly decomposed or undecomposed organic material in which the original cellular and tissue structures can often be identified. Peat forms in lakes and mires under waterlogged, anaerobic conditions.

Assessment of the CORDEX-CORE Africa simulations: evaluation and uncertainties in the mean and extreme indices climate change signal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabina Abba-Omar ◽  
Francesca Raffaele ◽  
Erika Coppola ◽  
Daniela Jacob ◽  
Claas Teichmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Change ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Climate Change Signal ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Climate ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
Extreme Indices

<p>CORDEX-CORE is a new phase of CORDEX simulations with higher resolutions (0.22 degrees) consisting of two RCMs forced by three GCMs. This higher resolution ensemble could provide added value to regional climate change information, however, since the data has just recently been released, more studies are required to validate and report on its climate change signal. With this in mind, we computed the mean climate and extreme indices over Africa using the CORDEX-CORE ensemble. These results are compared to the results of  the driving models as well as to the lower resolution CORDEX-phase 1 ensemble. We found that for most of the extreme indices the CORDEX-CORE shows lower biases over Africa owing to its higher spatial resolution. We also found that the mean climate change signal over Africa was broadly consistent across the three different ensembles. Indicating that the new CORDEX-CORE ensemble is able to capture the uncertainty spread well. We report the projected changes in extreme indices over Africa found in the new higher resolution CORDEX-CORE ensemble. We also examine and compare the representation of some key dynamical features over Africa in the different ensembles. Africa is especially vulnerable to extreme events, due to its limited capacity for disaster management. Thus, this study adds important, higher resolution information to the existing climate change impact knowledge for Africa. </p><p><br><br></p>

Climate change, weather shocks, and price convergence in pre-industrial Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakon Albers ◽  
Ulrich Pfister
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Price Convergence ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Weather Shocks ◽  
River Transport ◽  
North Western

Abstract Market integration of European inland regions such as Germany caught up on North-Western Europe from the seventeenth century onwards. As many studies rely on grain prices and the pre-industrial era was a period of climate change, a relevant question is in how far changing weather shocks impact on the measurement of convergence trends. We create a new high-quality grain price dataset and apply four methodologies to quantify market integration robust to weather shocks and climate change. Population growth and river transport turn out as plausible explanations for price convergence rather than climate change.

Climate change increases deoxynivalenol contamination of wheat in north-western Europe

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1593-1604 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.J. van der Fels-Klerx ◽  
J.E. Olesen ◽  
M.S. Madsen ◽  
P.W. Goedhart
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
North Western

Empirical models for radial and tangential fibre width in tree rings of Norway spruce in north-western Europe

Holzforschung ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Franceschini ◽  
Sven-Olof Lundqvist ◽  
Jean-Daniel Bontemps ◽  
Thomas Grahn ◽  
Lars Olsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Mixed Effects Models ◽  
Annual Rings ◽  
Fibre Width ◽  
Fixed Part ◽  
The Mean ◽  
North Western

Abstract Tracheid dimensions influence the quality of wood and that of pulp and paper. Both between- and within-ring variations are influenced by tree developmental stage, site, genetics, and forest management. To contribute to the knowledge in this regard, the radial and tangential tracheid dimensions on Norway spruce, defined as the lumens and double cell wall thickness, have been measured using a SilviScan device. Namely, 4947 annual rings from 35 trees from plantations in France, Norway, and Sweden were examined. Mixed-effects models were constructed concerning the radial and tangential tracheid widths for the total ring and in three within-ring compartments – earlywood (EW), transition wood (TW), and latewood (LW) – as functions of age, radius, height in the tree, and growth rate. Between-site and between-tree variations were also considered. The mean radial tracheid width was 34.2 μm (EW), 29.9 μm (TrW), and 22.1 μm (LW). The tangential tracheid width was on average 30.1 μm in all compartments. The radial and tangential tracheid widths in the rings and compartments increased from the pith to the bark and decreased with greater growth rates. Within a given ring, both properties decreased with height in the tree. The fixed part of the models of the radial tracheid width accounted for 68% (EW), 45% (TW), and 33% (LW) while for the models of the tangential fibre width it accounted for 42% of the variation in all compartments. Climate or hydraulic maintenance was hypothesised to be responsible for the variation of the radial tracheid width.

scholarly journals Impacts of forestation on the annual and seasonal water balance of a tropical catchment under climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hero Marhaento ◽  
Martijn J. Booij ◽  
Noorhadi Rahardjo ◽  
Naveed Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background This study aims to assess the effects of a forestation program and climate change on the annual and seasonal water balance of the Bogowonto catchment (597 km2) in Java, Indonesia. The catchment study is rare example in Indonesia where forestation has been applied at the catchment level. However, since the forestation program has been initiated, evaluations of the program only focus on the planting area targets, while the environmental success e.g., impacts on the hydrological processes have never been assessed. This study used a calibrated Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to diagnose the isolated and combined effects of forestation and climate change on five water balance components, namely streamflow (Q), evapotranspiration (ET), surface runoff (Qs), lateral flow (Ql) and base flow (Qb). Results The results show that from 2006 to 2019, forest cover has increased from 2.7% to 12.8% of the total area, while in the same period there was an increase in the mean annual and seasonal temperature, rainfall, and streamflow. Results of SWAT simulations show that changes in the mean annual and seasonal water balance under the forestation only scenario were relatively minor, while changes were more pronounced under the climate change only scenario. Based on the combined impacts scenario, it was observed that the effects of a larger forest area on the water balance were smaller than the effects of climate change. Conclusions Although we found that forestation program has minor impacts compared to that of climate change on the hydrological processes in the Bogowonto catchment, seasonally, forestation activity has decreased the streamflow and surface runoff during the wet season which may reduce the risk of moderate floods. However, much attention should be paid to the way how forestation may result in severe drought events during the dry season. Finally, we urge the importance of accounting for the positive and negative effects in future forestation programs.

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