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Journal of Environmental Hydrology
ISSN 1058-3912 |
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Electronic Journal of the International Association for
Environmental Hydrology
JEH Volume 17 (2009), Paper 2 Posted January 16, 2009 IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGES ON WATER RESOURCES IN AFRICA WITH EMPHASIS ON GROUNDWATER
Samir Al-Gamal ABSTRACT Climate change is likely to impact groundwater resources, either directly, e.g. via changing precipitation patterns, or indirectly, e.g. through the interaction of changing precipitation patterns with changing land-use practices and water demand. These changes may affect both groundwater quantity and quality. Climate change will affect groundwater recharge rates and groundwater levels. Any decrease in groundwater recharge will exacerbate the effect of sea-level rise in coastal areas. In inland aquifers, a decrease in groundwater recharge can lead to saltwater intrusion from underlying saline aquifers, and increased evapotranspiration in semi-arid and arid regions may lead to the salinization of shallow aquifers. In Africa, climate change and variability have the potential to impose additional pressures on water availability, water accessibility and water demand. A 1°C increase in temperature could change runoff by 10%, assuming that precipitation levels remain constant. If such an annual decrease in runoff were to occur, the impacts could be equivalent to the loss of one large dam per year in a given watershed. Temperature and precipitation in the African Sahel are negatively correlated - seasonal warming was accompanied by late 20th century drying. Reference: Al-Gamal, S., and A. Dodo. 2009. Impacts of climate changes on water resources in Africa with emphasis on groundwater. Journal of Environmental Hydrology, Vol. 17, Paper 2. CONTACT: Samir Al-Gamal Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) Boulevard du Leader Yasser Arafat BP 31-1080 Tunis, Tunisia E-mail: samir.algamal@yahoo.com |
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