scholarly journals Sensitivity of Potential Groundwater Recharge to Projected Climate Change Scenarios: A Site-Specific Study in the Nebraska Sand Hills, USA

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zablon Adane ◽  
Vitaly A. Zlotnik ◽  
Nathan R. Rossman ◽  
Tiejun Wang ◽  
Paolo Nasta
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Emission Scenarios ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Nebraska Sand Hills ◽  
Sand Hills ◽  
A Site ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Assessing the relationship between climate forcings and groundwater recharge (GR) rates in semi-arid regions is critical for water resources management. This study presents the impact of climate forecasts on GR within a probabilistic framework in a site-specific study in the Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH), the largest stabilized sand dune region in the USA containing the greatest recharge rates within the High Plains Aquifer. A total of 19 downscaled climate projections were used to evaluate the impact of precipitation and reference evapotranspiration on GR rates simulated by using HYDRUS 1-D. The analysis of the decadal aridity index (AI) indicates that climate class will likely remain similar to the historic average in the RCP2.6, 4.5, and 6.0 emission scenarios but AI will likely decrease significantly under the worst-case emission scenario (RCP8.5). However, GR rates will likely decrease in all of the four emission scenarios. The results show that GR generally decreases by ~25% under the business-as-usual scenario and by nearly 50% in the worst-case scenario. Moreover, the most likely GR values are presented with respect to probabilities in AI and the relationship between annual-average precipitation and GR rate were developed in both historic and projected scenarios. Finally, to present results at sub-annual time resolution, three representative climate projections (dry, mean and wet scenarios) were selected from the statistical distribution of cumulative GR. In the dry scenario, the excessive evapotranspiration demand in the spring and precipitation deficit in the summer can cause the occurrence of wilting points and plant withering due to excessive root-water-stress. This may pose significant threats to the survival of the native grassland ecology in the NSH and potentially lead to desertification processes if climate change is not properly addressed.

H.T.U. Smith (1965) dune morphology and chronology in central and western Nebraska. The Journal of Geology 73(4): 557–578

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 855-861
Author(s):  
Faisal Anzah ◽  
Joshua Brian Hodge ◽  
Richard W Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Aerial Photo ◽  
Aerial Photo Interpretation ◽  
Nebraska Sand Hills ◽  
Sand Hills ◽  
Dune Morphology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Classic Paper

Climatic geomorphologists, and eolian geomorphologists in particular, have always been interested in studying dunes to understand and construct past climatic conditions. Smith’s 1965 paper presents an excellent example of a reconnaissance piece of scientific work that set the foundation for (1) using aerial photo-interpretation to provide chronological information about dune fields; (2) the use of eolian processes and landforms as climate change indicators; and (3) extraterrestrial or planetary geomorphology. This article briefly describes Smith’s background, background on Nebraska Sand Hills, and the impact and legacy of Smith’s classic paper.

scholarly journals Modelling of the Discharge Response to Climate Change under RCP8.5 Scenario in the Alata River Basin (Mersin, SE Turkey)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Ümit Yıldırım ◽  
Cüneyt Güler ◽  
Barış Önol ◽  
Michael Rode ◽  
Seifeddine Jomaa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Distributed Process ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
Se Turkey

This study investigates the impacts of climate change on the hydrological response of a Mediterranean mesoscale catchment using a hydrological model. The effect of climate change on the discharge of the Alata River Basin in Mersin province (Turkey) was assessed under the worst-case climate change scenario (i.e., RCP8.5), using the semi-distributed, process-based hydrological model Hydrological Predictions for the Environment (HYPE). First, the model was evaluated temporally and spatially and has been shown to reproduce the measured discharge consistently. Second, the discharge was predicted under climate projections in three distinct future periods (i.e., 2021–2040, 2046–2065 and 2081–2100, reflecting the beginning, middle and end of the century, respectively). Climate change projections showed that the annual mean temperature in the Alata River Basin rises for the beginning, middle and end of the century, with about 1.35, 2.13 and 4.11 °C, respectively. Besides, the highest discharge timing seems to occur one month earlier (February instead of March) compared to the baseline period (2000–2011) in the beginning and middle of the century. The results show a decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperature in all future projections, resulting in more snowmelt and higher discharge generation in the beginning and middle of the century scenarios. However, at the end of the century, the discharge significantly decreased due to increased evapotranspiration and reduced snow depth in the upstream area. The findings of this study can help develop efficient climate change adaptation options in the Levant’s coastal areas.

scholarly journals Urban Geometry Optimization to Mitigate Climate Change: Towards Energy-Efficient Buildings

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Hatem Mahmoud ◽  
Ayman Ragab
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Urban Geometry ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
The Impact

The density of building blocks and insufficient greenery in cities tend to contribute dramatically not only to increased heat stress in the built environment but also to higher energy demand for cooling. Urban planners should, therefore, be conscious of their responsibility to reduce energy usage of buildings along with improving outdoor thermal efficiency. This study examines the impact of numerous proposed urban geometry cases on the thermal efficiency of outer spaces as well as the energy consumption of adjacent buildings under various climate change scenarios as representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 climate projections for New Aswan city in 2035. The investigation was performed at one of the most underutilized outdoor spaces on the new campus of Aswan University in New Aswan city. The potential reduction of heat stress was investigated so as to improve the thermal comfort of the investigated outdoor spaces, as well as energy savings based on the proposed strategies. Accordingly, the most appropriate scenario to be adopted to cope with the inevitable climate change was identified. The proposed scenarios were divided into four categories of parameters. In the first category, shelters partially (25–50% and 75%) covering the streets were used. The second category proposed dividing the space parallel or perpendicular to the existing buildings. The third category was a hybrid scenario of the first and second categories. In the fourth category, a green cover of grass was added. A coupling evaluation was applied utilizing ENVI-met v4.2 and Design-Builder v4.5 to measure and improve the thermal efficiency of the outdoor space and reduce the cooling energy. The results demonstrated that it is better to cover outdoor spaces with 50% of the overall area than transform outdoor spaces into canyons.

Soil Type Modifies the Impacts of Warming and Snow Exclusion on Carbon and Nutrient Losses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. Juice ◽  
Paul G. Schaberg ◽  
Alexandra M. Kosiba ◽  
Carl E. Waite ◽  
Gary J. Hawley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Soil Characteristics ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Total N ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The varied and wide-reaching impacts of climate change are occurring across heterogeneous landscapes. Despite the known importance of soils in mediating biogeochemical nutrient cycling, there is little experimental evidence of how soil characteristics may shape ecosystem response to climate change. Our objective was to clarify how soil characteristics modify the impact of climate changes on carbon and nutrient leaching losses in temperate forests. We therefore conducted a field-based mesocosm experiment with replicated warming and snow exclusion treatments on two soils in large (2.4 m diameter), in-field forest sapling mesocosms. We found that nutrient loss responses to warming and snow exclusion treatments frequently varied substantially by soil type. Indeed, in some cases, soil type nullified the impact of a climate treatment. For example, warming and snow exclusion increased nitrogen (N) losses on fine soils by up to four times versus controls, but these treatments had no impact on coarse soils. Generally, the coarse textured soil, with its lower soil-water holding capacity, had higher nutrient losses (e.g., 12-17 times more total N loss from coarse than fine soils), except in the case of phosphate, which had consistently higher losses (23-58%) from the finer textured soil. Furthermore, the mitigation of nutrient loss by increasing tree biomass varied by soil type and nutrient. Our results suggest that potentially large biogeochemical responses to climate change are strongly mediated by soil characteristics, providing further evidence of the need to consider soil properties in Earth system models for improving nutrient cycling and climate projections.

Structural safety and design under climate change

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Croce ◽  
Paolo Formichi ◽  
Filippo Landi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Extreme Value ◽  
Structural Safety ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Impact

<p>The impact of climate change on climatic actions could significantly affect, in the mid-term future, the design of new structures as well as the reliability of existing ones designed in accordance to the provisions of present and past codes. Indeed, current climatic loads are defined under the assumption of stationary climate conditions but climate is not stationary and the current accelerated rate of changes imposes to consider its effects.</p><p>Increase of greenhouse gas emissions generally induces a global increase of the average temperature, but at local scale, the consequences of this phenomenon could be much more complex and even apparently not coherent with the global trend of main climatic parameters, like for example, temperature, rainfalls, snowfalls and wind velocity.</p><p>In the paper, a general methodology is presented, aiming to evaluate the impact of climate change on structural design, as the result of variations of characteristic values of the most relevant climatic actions over time. The proposed procedure is based on the analysis of an ensemble of climate projections provided according a medium and a high greenhouse gas emission scenario. Factor of change for extreme value distribution’s parameters and return values are thus estimated in subsequent time windows providing guidance for adaptation of the current definition of structural loads.</p><p>The methodology is illustrated together with the outcomes obtained for snow, wind and thermal actions in Italy. Finally, starting from the estimated changes in extreme value parameters, the influence on the long-term structural reliability can be investigated comparing the resulting time dependent reliability with the reference reliability levels adopted in modern Structural codes.</p>

Farmers’ Capacity and Rice Productivity in Climate Change Adaptation in Central Lampung Regency, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-353
Author(s):  
Indah Listiana ◽  
Indah Nurmayasari ◽  
Rinaldi Bursan ◽  
Muher Sukmayanto ◽  
Helvi Yanfika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Performance Level ◽  
Crop Failure ◽  
Rice Productivity ◽  
Spearman Rank Correlation Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Climate change is an extreme natural change condition due to global warming that cannot be avoided, and will have a broad impact on various aspects of life, including the agricultural sector. The impact of climate change that occurs in the agricultural sector, namely flood and drought that cause plants to crop failure , is becoming greater, causing significant reduction in agricultural production, especially rice, requiring that farmers have the ability to adapt to climate change. The purposes of this study are to analyze the relationship between the performance level of agricultural extension workers and the capacity level of farmers in regard to climate change adaptation, and to analyze the relationship between the level of farmer capacity in climate change adaptation and rice productivity. The research was conducted in Central Lampung Regency in 2019 using a total of 100 rice farmers. The data analysis method used is Spearman rank correlation analysis. The results show that the performance level of agricultural instructors is significantly related to the level of knowledge capacity, attitude, and skills of farmers in climate change adaptation. Knowledge capacity, attitude, and skills of farmers in climate change adaptation are significantly related to rice productivity.

scholarly journals Desertification in Forest, Range and Desert Landuses of Tehran Province, Under the Impact of Climate Change

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Eskandari Dameneh ◽  
Moslem Borji ◽  
Hassan Khosravi ◽  
Ali Salajeghe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Degradation Process ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Emission Scenarios ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Tehran Province ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Persistence of widespread degradation in arid and semi-arid region of Iran necessitates using of monitoring and evaluation systems with appropriate accuracy to determine the degradation process and adoption of early warning systems; because after transition from some thresholds, effective reversible function of ecosystems will not be very easy. This paper tries to monitor the degradation and desertification trends in three land uses including range, forest and desert lands affected by climate change in Tehran province for 2000s and 2030s. For assessing climate changes of Mehrabad synoptic stations the data of two emission scenarios including A2 and B2 were used using statistical downscaling techniques and data generated by SDSM model. The index of net primary production resulting from MODIS satellite images was employed as an indicator of destruction from 2001 to 2010. The results showed that temperature is the most effective driver force which alters the net primary production in rangeland, forest and desert ecosystems of Tehran province. On the basis of monitoring findings under real conditions, in the 2000s, over 60 % of rangelands and 80 % of the forests have been below the average production in the province. On the other hand, the long-term average changes of NPP in rangeland and forests indicated the presence of relatively large areas of these land uses with production rate lower than the desert. The results also showed that, assuming the existence of circumstances of each emission scenarios, the desertification status will not improve significantly in the rangelands and forests of Tehran province.

scholarly journals Assembly: Performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces

Scene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Social Boundaries ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Specific Research ◽  
A Site ◽  
The Impact

This article reflects on the significance and impact of Assembly, a site-specific research project made and exhibited in Birmingham Central Mosque, Brick Lane Mosque and Old Kent Road Mosque from 2016 to 2020. Assembly provided an opportunity for Muslims and non-Muslims to experience Jumu’ah prayer first-hand via the site performances, which temporarily dissolved the religious/social boundaries of each mosque. Each performance highlighted the differences and relations between each site, furthering ideas of performativity in Muslim prayer spaces. This article summarizes the impact reported by each mosque community as well as reflecting upon the relationships built within the wider community.

scholarly journals Impact of climate change on hydropower production in the Upper Danube

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Martin Santos ◽  
Mathew Herrnegger ◽  
Hubert Holzmann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Emission Scenarios ◽  
Hydropower Generation ◽  
Climate Change Projections ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;In the last two decades, different climate downscaling initiatives provided climate scenarios for Europe. The most recent initiative, CORDEX, provides Regional Climate Model (RCM) data for Europe with a spatial resolution of 12.5 km, while the previous initiative, ENSEMBLES, had a spatial resolution of 25 km. They are based on different emission scenarios, Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) and Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A study carried out by Stanzel et al. (2018) explored the hydrological impact and discharge projections for the Danube basin upstream of Vienna when using either CORDEX and ENSEMBLES data. This basin covers an area of 101.810&lt;sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; with a mean annual discharge of 1923 m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;/s at the basin outlet. The basin is dominated by the Alps, large gradients and is characterized by high annual precipitations sums which provides valuable water resources available along the basin. Hydropower therefore plays an important role and accounts for more than half of the installed power generating capacity for this area. The estimation of hydropower generation under climate change is an important task for planning the future electricity supply, also considering the on-going EU efforts and the &amp;#8220;Green Deal&amp;#8221; initiative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Taking as input the results from Stanzel et al. (2018), we use transfer functions derived from historical discharge and hydropower generation data, to estimate potential changes for the future. The impact of climate change projections of ENSEMBLE and CORDEX in respect to hydropower generation for each basin within the study area is determined. In addition, an assessment of the impact on basins dominated by runoff river plants versus basins dominated by storage plants is considered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The good correlation between discharge and hydropower generation found in the historical data suggests that discharge projection characteristics directly affect the future expected hydropower generation. Large uncertainties exist and stem from the ensembles of climate runs, but also from the potential operation modes of the (storage) hydropower plants in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stanzel, P., Kling, H., 2018. From ENSEMBLES to CORDEX: Evolving climate change projections for Upper Danube River flow. J. Hydrol. 563, 987&amp;#8211;999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.06.057&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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