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The Impact of Climate Change on Future Water Storage

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Air, Climate Change and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 8369

Special Issue Editors

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, Water Institute, 18003 Granada, Spain
Interests: climate change; hydrology; snow; groundwater; remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Research on Geological Resources, Geological Survey of Spain, 18006 Granada, Spain
Interests: climate change impacts; adaptation strategies; water resources; hydrology; groundwater; remote sensing; droughts; stream-aquifer interaction; conjunctive use; management models; decision support systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Civil Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, 26555 Eskişehir, Turkey
Interests: snow hydrology; hydrological modeling; remote sensing applications in hydrology; water resources management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change represents one of the greatest challenges that society will face in the coming decades. From a hydrological perspective, climate change will greatly modify the availability, spatiotemporal distribution (Gosling and Arnell, 2016), and quality of surface water (Butcher et al., 2015) and groundwater bodies (Taylor et al., 2013) as well as being associated with extreme events such as droughts (Collados-Lara et al., 2018), floods (Morán-Tejeda et al., 2019), and geo-hazards like ground subsidence (Collados-Lara et al., 2020).

Despite the spread of uncertainty involved in the assessment of future climate change impacts, there is no excuse for delay or inaction in assessing impacts and designing adaptation strategies. In particular, the impacts of climate change on water storage systems must be considered (Pulido-Velázquez et al, 2018; Collados-Lara et al., 2019 ).

The objective of this Special Issue is to advance the development and application of methodologies for assessing potential impacts of climate change on water storage systems (e.g., aquifers, snowpacks, lakes, and reservoirs). Articles focused on the analysis of strategies to reduce climate change impacts in these systems are also of interest. We welcome the submission of original research articles, both methodological and experimental, and reviews covering all issues related to The Impact of Climate Change on Future Water Storage”. Possible topics include (but are not limited to)

  • The study of drivers of water storage: precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, etc.;
  • Snow depth—cover and water equivalent;
  • Streamflow,water-covered area, and water stratification;
  • Aquifer recharge, residence time, and aquifer discharge;
  • Water quality and seawater intrusion;
  • Flood risk, droughts, and subsidence.

References:

Butcher, J.B., Nover, D., Johnson, T.E., Clark, C.M., 2015. Sensitivity of lake thermal and mixing dynamics to climate change. Clim. Change. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1007/s10584-015-1326-1

Collados-Lara, A.J., Pulido-Velazquez, D., Pardo-Igúzquiza, E., 2018. An integrated statistical method to generate potential future climate scenarios to analyse droughts. Water (Switzerland). https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w10091224

Collados-Lara, A.J., Pardo-Igúzquiza, E., Pulido-Velazquez, D., 2019. A distributed cellular automata model to simulate potential future impacts of climate change on snow cover area. Adv. Water Resour. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.12.010

Collados-Lara, A.J., Pulido-Velazquez, D., Mateos, R.M., Ezquerro, P., 2020. Potential impacts of future climate change scenarios on ground subsidence. Water (Switzerland). https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w12010219

Gosling, S.N., Arnell, N.W., 2016. A global assessment of the impact of climate change on water scarcity. Clim. Change. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1007/s10584-013-0853-x

Morán-Tejeda, E., Fassnacht, S.R., Lorenzo-Lacruz, J., López-Moreno, J.I., García, C., Alonso-González, E., Collados-Lara, A.J., 2019. Hydro-meteorological characterization of major floods in Spanish mountain rivers. Water (Switzerland). https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/W11122641

Pulido-Velazquez, D., Collados-Lara, A.J., Alcalá, F.J., 2018. Assessing impacts of future potential climate change scenarios on aquifer recharge in continental Spain. J. Hydrol. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.10.077

Taylor, R.G., Scanlon, B., Döll, P., Rodell, M., Van Beek, R., Wada, Y., Longuevergne, L., et al., 2013. Ground water and climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1038/nclimate1744

Dr. Antonio Juan Collados-Lara
Dr. David Pulido-Velázquez
Prof. Dr. Aynur Sensoy
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • climate change
  • water storage
  • impacts
  • adaptation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2520 KiB  
Article
The Long-Term Performance of a Rainwater Harvesting System Based on a Quasi-Bicentennial Rainfall Time Series
by Arianna Cauteruccio and Luca G. Lanza
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15619; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su152115619 - 04 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 631
Abstract
The University of Genova (Italy) maintains a historical meteorological station that has provided daily rainfall measurements over a quasi-bicentennial period since 1833. The daily rainfall series is analyzed here to assess the impact of long-term precipitation trends on the performance of a rainwater [...] Read more.
The University of Genova (Italy) maintains a historical meteorological station that has provided daily rainfall measurements over a quasi-bicentennial period since 1833. The daily rainfall series is analyzed here to assess the impact of long-term precipitation trends on the performance of a rainwater harvesting system. The collected rainwater is used for the irrigation of urban green areas. A behavioral model is applied, involving a dedicated procedure to evaluate the actual soil water content available for vegetation and its decay over time. Non-dimensional indicators are obtained to support adaptation strategies and the sustainable design of the required storage tank. Since both irrigation demand and available water storage depend on the amount of rainfall received, fluctuations in daily rainfall and their trend do affect the performance of the system in a non-trivial way. The results demonstrate that the installation of an RWH system for landscape irrigation is a reliable and resilient solution, at least considering the measured rainfall variations of the last 200 years. In the town of Genoa, no specific adaptation seems necessary in terms of the design of the storage tank other than the usual oversizing, typical of engineering design, to account for uncertainties in the hydrological assessment of any RWH system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Climate Change on Future Water Storage)
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23 pages, 12354 KiB  
Article
Correlating Groundwater Storage Change and Precipitation in Alabama, United States from 2000–2021 by Combining the Water Table Fluctuation Method and Statistical Analyses
by Olaoluwa Oluwaniyi, Yong Zhang, Hossein Gholizadeh, Bailing Li, Xiufen Gu, HongGuang Sun and Chengpeng Lu
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15324; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su152115324 - 26 Oct 2023
Viewed by 947
Abstract
The complexity of aquifers poses a challenge for fully comprehending the impact of climate change on groundwater. In this study, we employed a suite of hydrological and statistical methods, including the water table fluctuation (WTF) method, wavelet analysis, the Hurst exponent, and temporal [...] Read more.
The complexity of aquifers poses a challenge for fully comprehending the impact of climate change on groundwater. In this study, we employed a suite of hydrological and statistical methods, including the water table fluctuation (WTF) method, wavelet analysis, the Hurst exponent, and temporal trend analysis, to assess groundwater storage (GWS) changes and their correlation with precipitation in Alabama, located in the southeastern United States. These approaches were used to evaluate the temporal variability of GWS as derived from well data and large-scale model estimates that incorporated satellite observations. The results unveiled a nuanced and regionally variable relationship between GWS changes and precipitation over the past two decades. While the Mann–Kendall test did not reveal any statistically significant overarching trends in GWS changes, Sen’s slope analysis indicated subtle regional variations, including a minor decline of −0.2 mm/year for GWS in southern Alabama and modest increases of 0.5 mm/year and 0.38 mm/year in the western and northern regions, respectively, from 2000–2021. Wavelet coherence analysis showed significant co-variation between GWS and precipitation in cycles ranging from 8 to 32 months, suggesting potential cyclic or intermittent influences. Furthermore, we detected strong persistence within the groundwater system using the Hurst exponent, indicating the substantial temporal memory impact. These findings are useful for developing effective groundwater management strategies in a changing climate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Climate Change on Future Water Storage)
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38 pages, 15601 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Climate Change on Extreme Climate Indices in Türkiye Driven by High-Resolution Downscaled CMIP6 Climate Models
by Berkin Gumus, Sertac Oruc, Ismail Yucel and Mustafa Tugrul Yilmaz
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7202; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15097202 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1782
Abstract
In this study, the latest release of all available Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) climate models with two future scenarios of Shared Socio-Economic Pathways, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, over the period 2015–2100 are utilized in diagnosing climate extremes in Türkiye. Coarse-resolution climate [...] Read more.
In this study, the latest release of all available Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) climate models with two future scenarios of Shared Socio-Economic Pathways, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, over the period 2015–2100 are utilized in diagnosing climate extremes in Türkiye. Coarse-resolution climate models were downscaled to a 0.1° × 0.1° (~9 km) spatial resolution using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis 5-Land (ERA5-Land) dataset based on three types of quantile mapping: quantile mapping, detrended quantile mapping, and quantile delta mapping. The temporal variations of the 12 extreme precipitation indices (EPIs) and 12 extreme temperature indices (ETIs) from 2015 to 2100 consistently suggest drier conditions, in addition to more frequent and severe precipitation extremes and warming temperature extremes in Türkiye, under the two future scenarios. The SSP5-8.5 scenario indicates more severe water stress than the SSP2-4.5 scenario; the total precipitation decreases up to 20% for Aegean and Mediterranean regions of Türkiye. Precipitation extremes indicate a decrease in the frequency of heavy rains but an increase in very heavy rains and also an increasing amount of the total precipitation from very heavy rain days. Temperature extremes such as the coldest, warmest, and mean daily maximum temperature are expected to increase across all regions of Türkiye, indicating warming conditions by up to 7.5 °C by the end of the century. Additionally, the coldest daily maximums also exhibit higher variability to climate change in the subregions Aegean, Southeastern Anatolia, Marmara, and Mediterranean regions of Türkiye while the mean daily maximum temperature showed greater sensitivity in the Black Sea, Central Anatolia, and Eastern Anatolia regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Climate Change on Future Water Storage)
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22 pages, 14491 KiB  
Article
The Future Snow Potential and Snowmelt Runoff of Mesopotamian Water Tower
by Aynur Şensoy, Gökçen Uysal, Y. Oğulcan Doğan and H. Soykan Civelek
Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6646; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15086646 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1214
Abstract
Mountainous basins are frequently called “natural water towers” because they supply essential water to downstream regions for irrigation, industrial–municipal use, and hydropower generation. The possible implications of climate change on water supplies have gained prominence in recent years, particularly in snow-dominated mountainous basins. [...] Read more.
Mountainous basins are frequently called “natural water towers” because they supply essential water to downstream regions for irrigation, industrial–municipal use, and hydropower generation. The possible implications of climate change on water supplies have gained prominence in recent years, particularly in snow-dominated mountainous basins. The Euphrates River, a snow-fed transboundary river that originates from the Eastern part of Türkiye with several large dam reservoirs downstream, was chosen within this scope. The study reveals the impact of climate change on two snow-dominated headwaters, namely Karasu and Murat, which have a basin area of 41,109 km2. The impact of climate change is assessed across runoff regimes and snow dynamics for future periods (2024–2099). Global Climate Model (GCM) data sets (CNRM-CM5, IPSL-CM5A, EC-EARTH, MPI-ESM-LR, NorESM1-M, HadGEM2-ES) were downscaled by Regional Circulation Models (RCMs), provided from CMIP5 EURO-CORDEX domain for climate projections under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. Future projections of runoff and snow variables are predicted by two conceptual hydrological models, HBV and HEC-HMS. The results indicate a dramatic shrink in snow cover extents (>65%) and snow duration (25%), a decrease in snow water equivalent (>50%), and a timely shift (up to a month) in peak runoff through early spring in the runoff hydrograph for the last future period (2075–2099). The overall assessment shows that operations of downstream water systems should be reconsidered for future changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Climate Change on Future Water Storage)
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21 pages, 16784 KiB  
Article
Response of the Thick and Thin Debris-Covered Glaciers between 1971 and 2019 in Ladakh Himalaya, India—A Case Study from Pensilungpa and Durung-Drung Glaciers
by Manish Mehta, Vinit Kumar, Pankaj Kunmar and Kalachand Sain
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4267; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15054267 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1559
Abstract
This paper aims to broadly understand the response of glaciers to thick and thin debris cover from one of the less explored regions (Zanskar) of the Himalaya. The present study is based on ground-based measurements (from 2015 to 2019), satellite data (since 1971), [...] Read more.
This paper aims to broadly understand the response of glaciers to thick and thin debris cover from one of the less explored regions (Zanskar) of the Himalaya. The present study is based on ground-based measurements (from 2015 to 2019), satellite data (since 1971), and available topographic maps (at a 1:50,000 scale). The study includes snout retreat, changes in equilibrium line altitude (ELA), surface elevation, and modeled mass balance of thick and thin debris-covered Pensilungpa (Suru River basin) and Durung-Drung (Doda River basin) glaciers in the western Indian Himalaya, Ladakh, for the past five decades. The Durung-Drung Glacier (DDG) receded ~−624 ± 547 m with an average rate of −12 ± 11 m a−1 between 1971 and 2019. The frontal part of the DDG is broad (~2 km wide), which shows wide discrepancies in its retreat. Compared to DDG, the small and narrow snout of the Pensilungpa Glacier (PG) retreated −270.5 ± 27.5 m (1971 to 2019), with an average rate of −5.6 ± 0.57 m a−1. Similarly, the four years (2015–2019) of field observations suggest that the retreat rate of PG and DDG is −6.7 ± 3 and −18 ± 15 m a−1, and the rate of modeled glacier mass loss is −0.29 ± 0.3 and −0.3 ± 0.3 m w.e. a−1, respectively. Furthermore, the ELA of the DDG and PG between 1971 and 2019 increased by ~59 ± 38 and ~23 ± 19 m, respectively. The change in the longitudinal profile of the glaciers along the centerline between 2000 and 2017 shows the DDG and PG lost ~17 and 15 m surface ice thickness. The change in debris cover plays a critical role in the glacier surface lowering, shrinkage, retreat, and mass balance. Hence, we quantitatively evaluated the influence of the debris cover on summer ablation and terminus recession on two different characteristic glaciers (DDG and PG) with its potential effect on the mass balance process (area-volume loss). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Climate Change on Future Water Storage)
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