› › Climate Change And Land Use Cover Change Impacts On Watershed Hydrology Nutrient Dynamics A Case Study In Missisquoi River Watershed

Climate Change and Land Use/Cover Change Impacts on Watershed Hydrology, Nutrient Dynamics -- a Case Study in Missisquoi River Watershed

Author : Linyuan Shang

Publisher :

Page : 318 pages

File Size : 23,88 MB

Release : 2019

Category : Climatic changes

ISBN :

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Book Description

Watershed regulation of water, carbon and nutrient dynamics support food, drinking water and human development. Projected climate changes and land use/cover change (LUCC) have been identified as drivers of watershed nutrient and hydrological processes and are likely to happen jointly in the future decades. Studying climate change and LUCC impacts on watersheds' streamflow and nutrients dynamics is therefore essential for future watershed management. This research aimed to unveil how climate change and LUCC affect water and nutrient dynamics in the Missisquoi River watershed, Vermont. We used 12 scenarios of future climate data (2021 - 2050) generated by three GCMs (ccsm4, mri-cgcm3, and gfdl-esm2m) under four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). For LUCC, we used three different scenarios generated by the Interactive Land Use Transition Agent-Based Model (ILUTABM). The three LUCC scenarios were Business As Usual (BAU), Prefer Forest (proForest), and Prefer Agriculture (proAg). New land use maps were generated every 10 years for the period of 2021 - 2050. Combining each climate change and LUCC scenario resulted in 36 scenarios that were used to drive Regional Hydro-Ecologic Simulation System (RHESSys) ecohydrological model. In chapter 3, we used RHESSys to study streamflow. We found climate was the main driver for streamflow because climate change directly controlled the system water input. For streamflow, climate change scenarios had larger impacts than LUCC, different LUCCs under the same climate change scenario had similar annual flow patterns. In chapter 4, we used RHESSys to study streamflow NO3-N and NH4-N load. Because fertilizer application is the major source for nitrogen export, LUCC had larger impacts; watersheds with more agricultural land had larger nitrogen loads. In chapter 5, we developed RHESSys-P by coupling the DayCent phosphorus module with RHESSys to study climate change and LUCC impacts on Dissolved Phosphorus (DP) load. RHESSys-P was calibrated with observed DP data for 2002 - 2004 and validated with data for 2009 - 2010. In both calibration and validation periods, simulated DP basically captured patterns of observed DP. In the validation period, the R2 of simulated vs observed DP was 0.788. Future projection results indicated BAU and proForest annual loads were around 4.0 x 104 kg under all climate change scenarios; proAg annual loads increased from around 4.0 x 104 kg in 2021 to 1.6 x 105 kg in 2050 under all climate change scenarios. The results showed LUCC was the dominant factor for dissolved phosphorus loading. Overall, our results suggest that, while climate drives streamflow, N and P fluxes are largely driven by land use and management decisions. To balance human development and environmental quality, BAU is a feasible future development strategy.



Handbook of Climate Change Impacts on River Basin Management

Author :

Publisher :

Page : 0 pages

File Size : 37,46 MB

Release : 2024-05

Category : Technology & Engineering

ISBN : 9781032753140

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Book Description

"Climate change is an alarming issue that has affected the globe at multiple levels. It involves not only rising temperatures but also changes to the original hydro-meteorological parameters of a region and the corresponding changes emerging in the various biotic or abiotic environmental features. Changing landscapes have become quite visible, and one of the prominent results of climate change has been the impact on the sediment yield and its transport. These changes have implications for various other environmental components, particularly soils, water bodies, water quality, land productivity, sedimentation processes, glacier dynamics, and risk management strategies to name a few. Understanding recent changes in sediment yield impacts due to changing climate will enhance the field of water resources management as well as land conservation techniques. This handbook examines hydrology, watershed, soil erosion, global climate change scenarios, changing dynamics of streamflow and erosion, impact of changing sediment dynamics, major problems associated with change in the original sediment balance in nature, the latest computing technologies incorporated in the studies, risk control and management measures. It also includes case studies from various countries, which will help illustrate the problem of climate change, as well as introducing region-specific approaches"--



Scenarios and Implications of Land Use and Climate Change on Water Quality in Mesoscale Agricultural Watersheds

Author : Bano B Mehdi

Publisher :

Page : pages

File Size : 17,36 MB

Release : 2015

Category :

ISBN :

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"A comparative study in two mesoscale, agricultural watersheds located in mid-latitude, developed regions (Altmühl River, Germany and in Pike River, Canada) investigated potential future land use change and climate change impacts on surface water quality. The two watersheds provided a unique opportunity to compare potential impacts of change in similar physical and climatological regions, yet under different political settings related to agricultural policies as well as water quality management and protection. The objectives of the research were to develop agricultural land use scenarios to apply to a hydrological model simultaneously with climate change simulations. This modelling framework allowed quantifying these combined impacts on streamflow, sediment loads, nitrate-nitrogen loads and concentrations, as well as total phosphorus loads and concentrations to the 2050 time horizon. The impacts of climate change were evaluated alone and then with land use change. Overall, the quality of surface water simulated in both watersheds will be deteriorated according to environmental standards set by the ministries by 2050 due to higher mean annual nutrient loads transported into the rivers. Climate change impacts were greater than land use change impacts; however land use change can have an important influence on water quality, depending on the magnitude of crop changes taking place. Field-level adaptation strategies in the Pike River were simulated to determine the extent of reducing the combined impacts of land use and climate change. The strategies were able to mitigate the combined impacts, and also to improve the quality of surface water compared to the in-stream nutrient concentrations in the reference simulation.In both watersheds, it was determined that the combined interaction between climate change and land use change in the hydrological model are non-linear. Examining the combined impacts are necessary to determine potential alterations in water quality in a basin since the direction and the magnitude are not predictable from the individual changes alone." --



Impacts of Land Cover and Climate Change on Water Resources in Suasco River Watershed

Author : Ammara Talib

Publisher :

Page : pages

File Size : 34,78 MB

Release : 2015

Category :

ISBN :

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ABSTRACT IMPACTS OF LAND COVER AND CLIMATE CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES IN SUASCO RIVER WATERSHED September 2015 AMMARA TALIB, BS., PUNJAB UNIVERSITY LAHORE MS., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Tim Randhir Hydrological balance and biogeochemical processes in watershed are significantly influenced by changes in land use land cover (LULC) and climate change. Those changes can influence interception, evapotranspiration (ET), infiltration, soil moisture, water balance and biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen and other elements at regional to global scales. The impacts of these hydrological disturbances are generally reflected in form of increasing runoff rate and volume, more intense and frequent floods, decreasing groundwater recharge and base flow, elevated levels of sediments and increase in concentration of nutrients in both streams and shallow groundwater. Water quality of Sudbury, Assabet and Concord (SuAsCo) watershed in Massachusetts is also compromised because of influx of runoff, sediments and nutrients. There is a crucial need to evaluate the synergistic effects of LULC change and climate change on the water quality and water quantity in a watershed system. A watershed simulation model is used to simulate hydrologic processes and water quality changes in sediment loads, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). The model is calibrated and validated with field-measured data. Climatic scenarios are represented by downscaled regional projections from Global Climate Model (GCM) models and regional built out scenarios of LULC are used to assess the impacts of projected LULC and climate change on water quality and water quantity. Simultaneous changes in LULC and climate significantly affect the water resources in the SuAsCo River watershed. Change in climate increased ET (4.7 %) because of high temperature, but independent change in land cover reduced ET (6.5%) because of less available vegetation. Combined change in land cover and climate reduced ET (2.1%) overall, which indicates that land cover change has significant impact on ET. Change in climate increased total run off (6%) and this increase is more significant as compared to 2.7 % increase in total runoff caused by land cover change. Change in land cover increased surface runoff more significantly (69.2%) than 7.9 % increase caused by climate change. Combined change in land cover and climate further increased the average storm peak volume (12.8 percent) because of high precipitation and impervious area in future. There is a potential for reducing runoff, sediments and nutrients loads by using conservation policies and adaptation strategies. This research provides valuable information about the dynamics of watershed system, as well as the complex processes that impair water resources.



Impacts of Anthropogenic Activities on Watersheds in a Changing Climate

Author : Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes

Publisher : MDPI

Page : 256 pages

File Size : 15,21 MB

Release : 2021-04-14

Category : Science

ISBN : 3036502661

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Book Description

The immediate goal of this Special Issue was the characterization of land uses and occupations (LULC) in watersheds and the assessment of impacts caused by anthropogenic activities. The goal was immediate because the ultimate purpose was to help bring disturbed watersheds to a better condition or a utopian sustainable status. The steps followed to attain this objective included publishing studies on the understanding of factors and variables that control hydrology and water quality changes in response to human activities. Following this first step, the Special Issue selected work that described adaption measures capable of improving the watershed condition (water availability and quality), namely LULC conversions (e.g., monocultures into agro-forestry systems). Concerning the LULC measures, however, efficacy was questioned unless supported by public programs that force consumers to participate in concomitant costs, because conversions may be viewed as an environmental service.



Water, Climate Change, and Forests

Author : Michael J. Furniss

Publisher : DIANE Publishing

Page : 80 pages

File Size : 37,99 MB

Release : 2011

Category : Nature

ISBN : 1437939848

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Book Description

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Water from forested watersheds provides irreplaceable habitat for aquatic and riparian species and supports our homes, farms, industries, and energy production. Yet population pressures, land uses, and rapid climate change combine to seriously threaten these waters and the resilience of watersheds in most places. Forest land managers are expected to anticipate and respond to these threats and steward forested watersheds to ensure the sustained protection and provision of water and the services it provides. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) Background: Forests and Water; Climate Change: Hydrologic Responses and Ecosystem Services; (3) Moving Forward: Think; Collaborate; Act; (4) Closing; (5) Examples of Watershed Stewardship. Illus.



Climate Change and Land Use Change Effects on Ecological Resources in Three Watersheds

Author :

Publisher :

Page : 51 pages

File Size : 28,57 MB

Release : 2006

Category : Aquatic ecology

ISBN :

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Book Description

The effects of global change drivers differ by place and in scale, necessitating place-specific impacts information to enable stakeholders to respond appropriately. Place and scale also determine appropriate adaptation strategies and expected outcomes. Three watershed case studies were conducted by GCRP to advance the capability of managers to consider climate and land use change in watershed management decisions. The case studies were of the San Pedro River Watershed, the Sacramento River Watershed, and several small watersheds in Maryland. A review of these case studies was conducted by the Global Change Research Program (GCRP) staff to learn effective analytic, project management, and decision support approaches for conducting watershed assessments. This report is a synthesis of what was learned from conducting those three watershed case-study assessments, with the purpose of advancing - to advance the capability of managers to consider climate and land use change in watershed management decisions. The report provides a summary of the scientific findings from those three case studies conducted in the San Pedro River Watershed, the Sacramento River Watershed, and several small watersheds in Maryland. It also provides insights gained from a comparison across case studies of the process of conducting watershed assessments and effective ways of improving our capability to support decisions.



Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape

Author : National Research Council

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 181 pages

File Size : 49,80 MB

Release : 2008-12-19

Category : Science

ISBN : 0309121086

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Book Description

Of all the outputs of forests, water may be the most important. Streamflow from forests provides two-thirds of the nation's clean water supply. Removing forest cover accelerates the rate that precipitation becomes streamflow; therefore, in some areas, cutting trees causes a temporary increase in the volume of water flowing downstream. This effect has spurred political pressure to cut trees to increase water supply, especially in western states where population is rising. However, cutting trees for water gains is not sustainable: increases in flow rate and volume are typically short-lived, and the practice can ultimately degrade water quality and increase vulnerability to flooding. Forest hydrology, the study of how water flows through forests, can help illuminate the connections between forests and water, but it must advance if it is to deal with today's complexities, including climate change, wildfires, and changing patterns of development and ownership. This book identifies actions that scientists, forest and water managers, and citizens can take to help sustain water resources from forests.



Climate and Land Use Change Effects on Ecological Resources in Three Watersheds: a Synthesis Report

Author : United States Government Environmental Protection Agency

Publisher : CreateSpace

Page : 80 pages

File Size : 49,22 MB

Release : 2012-12-23

Category :

ISBN : 9781481827546

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Book Description

During the early 2000s, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Research and Development, Global Change Research Program, supported three watershed assessments to evaluate different approaches and tools for understanding and managing climate and land-use change impacts on watershed ecological resources. Watershed assessments were conducted for (1) several small rivers in southern Maryland, (2) Arizona's San Pedro River, and (3) California's Sacramento River. In this report, we comparatively analyze the three case-study approaches in order to develop recommendations that may be useful as guidance to others conducting similar assessments. Key insights gained from these studies include: 1. Prioritize locations for studies to maximize decision support. 2. Target selection of stakeholders, establish credibility of underlying methods and models, and incorporate incentives for mutually beneficial results. 3. Provide essential climate science capabilities and tools to project teams. 4. Develop model linkages at the onset, carry out assessment activities at multiple scales, and require explicit uncertainty analysis of results. The watershed assessment case studies described in this report yield richness of detail in terms of methods and results, as well as inform more generally on best practices for conducting future watershed assessments. However these were pioneering studies addressing difficult and complex problems. Future assessments will continue to refine the understanding of how to maximize decision support, including providing necessary keystone capabilities and tools to effectively estimate climate change vulnerabilities, developing and supporting successful stakeholder processes, and characterizing uncertainty and scaling or transferring results to increase their relevance.