scholarly journals Australia's Murray - Darling Basin: freshwater ecosystem conservation options in an era of climate change

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Pittock ◽  
C. Max Finlayson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
River Management ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystem ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Regulated Rivers ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Murray Darling Basin

River flows in the Murray–Darling Basin, as in many regions in the world, are vulnerable to climate change, anticipated to exacerbate current, substantial losses of freshwater biodiversity. Additional declines in water quantity and quality will have an adverse impact on existing freshwater ecosystems. We critique current river-management programs, including the proposed 2011 Basin Plan for Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin, focusing primarily on implementing environmental flows. River management programs generally ignore other important conservation and adaptation measures, such as strategically located freshwater-protected areas. Whereas most river-basin restoration techniques help build resilience of freshwater ecosystems to climate change impacts, different measures to enhance resilience and reoperate water infrastructure are also required, depending on the degree of disturbance of particular rivers on a spectrum from free-flowing to highly regulated. A crucial step is the conservation of free-flowing river ecosystems where maintenance of ecological processes enhances their capacity to resist climate change impacts, and where adaptation may be maximised. Systematic alteration of the operation of existing water infrastructure may also counter major climate impacts on regulated rivers.

scholarly journals Improving the Assessment of Potential and Actual Impacts of Climate Change and Extreme Events Through a Parallel Modeling of Climatic and Societal Changes at Different Scales

2017 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 1850003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Greiving ◽  
Sophie Arens ◽  
Dennis Becker ◽  
Mark Fleischhauer ◽  
Florian Hurth
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Modeling Approach ◽  
Recent Climate

Any adaptation activity needs a reliable evidence basis for the climate itself as well as for the exposition and sensitivity of the social, economic or ecological system and its elements. This requires an assessment of recent climate impacts as well as potential future climate change impacts in order to select tailor-made adaptation measures. For a methodologically coherent assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had introduced the requirement of a parallel modeling approach which means that demographic and socioeconomic changes are projected in parallel to the changes of the climatic system. This paper discusses a conceptual framework of a parallel modeling approach and presents its application in four case studies of climate change impact assessments in Germany, covering the national, regional and local scale. The results from the different applications prove the hypothesis that the change in sensitivity (i.e., demographic change, economic change and change in land-use patterns) often determines the magnitude of climate- and weather-related impacts in the near future significantly. The case studies, however, also show that adaptation processes have to be organized in a collaborative way, which takes the knowledge, and also the concerns of the addressees into full account. A broad mandate from all social groups is especially needed when political decisions are based on uncertain knowledge — which is the case whenever climate change impacts are assessed.

scholarly journals Amplified Impact of Climate Change on Fine-Sediment Delivery to a Subsiding Coast, Humboldt Bay, California

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Curtis ◽  
Lorraine E. Flint ◽  
Michelle A. Stern ◽  
Jack Lewis ◽  
Randy D. Klein
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Sediment Delivery ◽  
Beneficial Reuse ◽  
Coastal Margin

AbstractIn Humboldt Bay, tectonic subsidence exacerbates sea-level rise (SLR). To build surface elevations and to keep pace with SLR, the sediment demand created by subsidence and SLR must be balanced by an adequate sediment supply. This study used an ensemble of plausible future scenarios to predict potential climate change impacts on suspended-sediment discharge (Qss) from fluvial sources. Streamflow was simulated using a deterministic water-balance model, and Qss was computed using statistical sediment-transport models. Changes relative to a baseline period (1981–2010) were used to assess climate impacts. For local basins that discharge directly to the bay, the ensemble means projected increases in Qss of 27% for the mid-century (2040–2069) and 58% for the end-of-century (2070–2099). For the Eel River, a regional sediment source that discharges sediment-laden plumes to the coastal margin, the ensemble means projected increases in Qss of 53% for the mid-century and 99% for the end-of-century. Climate projections of increased precipitation and streamflow produced amplified increases in the regional sediment supply that may partially or wholly mitigate sediment demand caused by the combined effects of subsidence and SLR. This finding has important implications for coastal resiliency. Coastal regions with an increasing sediment supply may be more resilient to SLR. In a broader context, an increasing sediment supply from fluvial sources has global relevance for communities threatened by SLR that are increasingly building resiliency to SLR using sediment-based solutions that include regional sediment management, beneficial reuse strategies, and marsh restoration.

Droughts, floods and freshwater ecosystems: evaluating climate change impacts and developing adaptation strategies

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Aldous ◽  
James Fitzsimons ◽  
Brian Richter ◽  
Leslie Bach
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia

Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on hydrologic regimes and freshwater ecosystems, and yet few basins have adequate numerical models to guide the development of freshwater climate adaptation strategies. Such strategies can build on existing freshwater conservation activities, and incorporate predicted climate change impacts. We illustrate this concept with three case studies. In the Upper Klamath Basin of the western USA, a shift in land management practices would buffer this landscape from a declining snowpack. In the Murray–Darling Basin of south-eastern Australia, identifying the requirements of flood-dependent natural values would better inform the delivery of environmental water in response to reduced runoff and less water. In the Savannah Basin of the south-eastern USA, dam managers are considering technological and engineering upgrades in response to more severe floods and droughts, which would also improve the implementation of recommended environmental flows. Even though the three case studies are in different landscapes, they all contain significant freshwater biodiversity values. These values are threatened by water allocation problems that will be exacerbated by climate change, and yet all provide opportunities for the development of effective climate adaptation strategies.

Gender, Forests and Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paloma Marcos Morezuelas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Payment Schemes ◽  
Gender Lens ◽  
Change Mitigation

As users of forest products and guardians of traditional knowledge, women have always been involved in forestry. Nevertheless, their access to forest resources and benefits and participation in forest management is limited compared to mens despite the fact that trees are more important to women, who depend on them for their families food security, income generation and cooking fuel. This guide aims to facilitate the incorporation of a gender lens in climate change mitigation and adaptation operations in forests, with special attention to those framed in REDD. This guide addresses four themes value chains, environmental payment schemes, firewood and biodiversity that relate directly to 1) how climate change impacts affect women in the forest and 2) how mitigation and adaptation measures affect womens access to resources and benefits distribution.

scholarly journals Risks and opportunities for a Swiss hydropower company in a changing climate

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsti Hakala ◽  
Nans Addor ◽  
Thibault Gobbe ◽  
Johann Ruffieux ◽  
Jan Seibert
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Volume Distribution ◽  
Impact Studies ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Low Flows

Abstract. Anticipating and adapting to climate change impacts on water resources requires a detailed understanding of future hydroclimatic changes and of stakeholders' vulnerability to these changes. However, climate change impact studies are often conducted at a spatial scale that is too coarse to capture the specificity of individual catchments, and more importantly, the changes they focus on are not necessarily the changes most critical to stakeholders. While recent studies have combined hydrological and electricity market modeling, they tend to aggregate all climate impacts by focusing solely on reservoir profitability, and thereby provide limited insights into climate change adaptation. Here, we collaborated with Groupe E, a hydropower company operating several reservoirs in the Swiss pre-Alps and worked with them to produce hydroclimatic projections tailored to support their upcoming water concession negotiations. We started by identifying the vulnerabilities of their activities to climate change and then together chose streamflow and energy indices to characterize the associated risks. We provided Groupe E with figures showing the projected climate change impacts, which were refined over several meetings. The selected indices enabled us to simultaneously assess a variety of impacts induced by changes on i) the seasonal water volume distribution, ii) low flows, iii) high flows, and iv) energy demand. We were hence able to identify key opportunities (e.g., the future increase of reservoir inflow in winter, when electricity prices are historically high) and risks (e.g., the expected increase of consecutive days of low flows in summer and fall, which is likely to make it more difficult to meet residual flow requirements). This study highlights that the hydrological opportunities and risks associated with reservoir management in a changing climate depend on a range of factors beyond those covered by traditional impact studies. We also illustrate the importance of identifying stakeholder needs and using them to inform the production of climate impact projections. Our user-centered approach is transferable to other impact modeling studies, in the field of water resources and beyond.

scholarly journals Risk assessment of climate change impacts and the post-mining land reclamation on the example of the “Brzeziny” Natural Aggregate Mine

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-54
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Pawełczyk
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Mining Area ◽  
Event Tree ◽  
Event Tree Analysis ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Optimal Method

Abstract Mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its effects manifested in increasingly extreme meteorological phenomena are one of the most important contemporary global challenges. In the face of new hazards, numerous measures are taken to adapt environmental components and ventures to climate change, such as the reclamation of degraded areas – recognized as a key adaptation and mitigation action. The success and the property of selecting these measures, including reclamation, requires a detailed recognition of the risk of occurrence of various hazards and of the severity of their consequences in a given area. The study assessed the risk of the climate change impacts on the post-mining area and based on its results an optimal method of reclamation of the “Brzeziny” gravel pit was proposed, aimed at the maximum adaptation of the area to the occurrence of potential climate events. The risk analysis was based on elements of the common risk assessment methodology (CRAM) and enriched with elements of the analytic hierarchy process method (AHP). Moreover, the event tree analysis (ETA) logic technique was used to assess the proposed adaptation measures at the reclamation stage.

scholarly journals As Experiências da Coalizão Adapta Sertão na Disseminação de Tecnologias e Estratégias de Adaptação à Mudança Climática para o Agricultor Familiar do Semiárido Brasileiro (The experience of the Adapta Sertão Coalition in Disseminating Climate Change...)

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Cesano ◽  
Emilio Lèbre La Rovere ◽  
Martin Obermaier ◽  
Thais Corral ◽  
Laise Santos da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
Family Farming ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Semi Arid

Este artigo descreve a experiência da coalizão Adapta Sertão na experimentação e disseminação de sistemas produtivos que possam tornar o agricultor familiar do Semiárido mais resiliente aos impactos da variação climática atual e da mudança do clima no futuro. Durante as experimentações, a coalizão teve que enfrentar várias barreiras ligadas à falta de integração entre políticas públicas existentes e projetos pilotos em comunidades locais. Hoje, a adaptação à mudança do clima não está sendo considerada na implementação de obras hídricas de pequeno e médio porte, que são de grande importância porque, geralmente, conseguem beneficiar as faixas de população mais pobres e mais suscetíveis aos impactos climáticos. As experiências mostram que é preciso desenvolver, com urgência, políticas públicas inovadoras que consigam integrar o acesso à água com a disseminação de tecnologias de adaptação e de sistemas produtivos mais resilientes à seca.  Palavras - chave: medidas de adaptação, agricultura familiar, semiárido, tecnologia.  The experience of the Adapta Sertão Coalition in Disseminating Climate Change Adaptation Technologies and Strategies for Family Farmers in Semi Arid Brazil  ABSTRACTThis paper describes the experience of the Adapta Sertão coalition in testing and experimenting production systems that have the potential to make small farmers of semi-arid Brazil more resilient to current and future climate change impacts. During the different testing, the coalition had to overcome several barriers linked to a lack of integration between current public policies. For example, today climate change is not considered in the design and implementation of small and medium hydraulic infrastructures. This limits the benefits to the target groups (small farmers) that are more likely to be affected by climate change. The experiences show that it is urgent and necessary to develop public policies to better integrate access to water, dissemination of climate resilient technologies and implementation of production systems more adequate to the semi arid conditions.  Keywords: adaptation measures, family farming, semi-arid, technology.

scholarly journals Possible adaptation measures of agriculture sector in the Nile Delta to climate change impacts

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Attaher ◽  
M. A. Medany ◽  
A. F. Abou-Hadid
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Delta Region ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
The World ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract. The overall agricultural system in the Nile Delta region is considered as one of the highest intensive and complicated agriculture systems in the world. According to the recent studies, the Nile Delta region is one of the highly vulnerable regions in the world to climate change. Sea level rise, soil and water degradation, undiversified crop-pattern, yield reduction, pests and disease severity, and irrigation and drainage management were the main key factors that increased vulnerability of the agriculture sector in that region. The main objective of this study is to conduct a community-based multi-criteria adaptation assessment in the Nile Delta using a preset questionnaire. A list of possible adaptation measures for agriculture sector was evaluated. The results indicated that the Nile Delta growers have strong perceptions to act positively to reduce the impacts of climate change. They reflected the need to improve the their adaptive capacity based on clear scientific message with adequate governmental support to coop with the negative impacts of climate change.

scholarly journals Adaptación de la agricultura a escenarios de cambio global. Aplicación de métodos participativos en la cuenca del río Júcar (España)

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Ortega-Reig ◽  
Marta García-Mollá ◽  
Carles Sanchis-Ibor ◽  
Manuel Pulido-Velázquez ◽  
Corentin Girard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
La Mancha ◽  
Local Impacts ◽  
Del Rio ◽  
Adaptation Processes

<p>This paper develops a participatory methodology to integrate farmer’s vision in the design of an adaptation strategy to global change in the Jucar River basin. It aims at answering three questions: How farmers perceive climate change impacts; which adaptation measures they consider; and how they assess these measures. Participatory workshops with different actors were held in two areas (La Ribera and La Mancha Oriental). This methodology has allowed identifying the local impacts and consequences of global change, and the difficulties of the adaptation processes to climate change scenarios.</p>

scholarly journals Modeling and Analysis of Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation in Tehran

Climate ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Behnam Ghasemzadeh ◽  
Ayyoob Sharifi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Interpretive Structural Modeling ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Modeling And Analysis ◽  
Management Plans

Since the impacts of climate change will last for many years, adaptation to this phenomenon should be prioritized in urban management plans. Although Tehran, the capital of Iran, has been subject to a variety of climate change impacts in recent years, appropriate adaptation measures to address them are yet to be taken. This study primarily aims to categorize the barriers to climate change adaptation in Tehran and analyze the way they interact with each other. The study was done in three steps: first, the focus group discussion (FGD) method was used to identify the barriers; next, the survey and the structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to validate the barriers, identify their importance, and examine their possible inter-relationships; and finally, the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) was applied to categorize and visualize the relationships between the barriers. Results show that barriers related to the ‘structure and culture of research’, ‘laws and regulations’, and ‘planning’ belong to the cluster of independent barriers and are of greater significance. The ‘social’ barrier and barriers related to ‘resources and resource management’ are identified as dependent barriers and are of lesser importance. Barriers related to ‘governance’, ‘awareness’, ‘education and knowledge’, ‘communication and interaction’, and ‘economy’ are identified at the intermediate cluster. The findings of this study can provide planners and decision makers with invaluable insights as to how to develop strategies for climate change adaptation in Tehran. Despite the scope of the study being confined to Tehran, its implications go far beyond this metropolis.

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