Effects of hydrological changes on cooperation in transnational catchments: the case of the Syr Darya

Bocchiola, Daniele; Pelosi, M. G.; Soncini, Andrea

doi:10.1080/02508060.2017.1376568

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…A key risk factor that influences how water is managed and governed, rests on existing and unresolved conflicts that may or may not necessarily arise exclusively from demands over shared water resources, raising tensions within and across borders in river basins influenced by snow and glacier melt (Valdés-Pineda et al, 2014;Bocchiola et al, 2017). For example, in Central Asia, competing demand for water for hydropower and irrigation between upstream and downstream countries has raised tensions (Bernauer and Siegfried, 2012;Bocchiola et al, 2017). Similarly, competing demand for water is also reported in Chile (Valdés-Pineda et al, 2014) and in Peru (Vuille, 2013;Drenkhan et al, 2015).…”

Section: Water Governance and Response Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Mountain Areas

2022

The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

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Section: Water Governance and Response Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Mountain Areas

2022

The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

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“…The river drains an area of about 402,760 km 2 , which is shared by four countries including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan ( Figure 1). The Syr Darya River Basin has a hot and arid climate in the downstream plains but a cool and humid climate in the mountains [26]. Due to the snow and glacier melting in the mountains, about 80% of water resources flow between March and September [27].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The annual rainfall in the basin approximately amounts to 350 mm/year, with a huge difference between the Tien Shan (500-1000 mm/year) and the downstream plain (100-200 mm/year) [27]. About 20 million people live in the basin and 80% of the population live in rural areas and consume about 90% of the water resources for irrigation [14,26]. Due to the overall overexploitation of the water resources, the amount of water flowing into the Aral Sea has significantly decreased since the 1960s, especially during the decadal periods 1971-1980 and 1981-1990.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Human and Natural Impacts on the Water Resources in the Syr Darya River Basin, Central Asia

et al. 2019

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Water resources are increasingly under stress in Central Asia because downstream countries are highly dependent on upstream countries. Water is essential for irrigation and is becoming scarcer due to climate change and human activities. Based on 20 hydrological stations, this study firstly analyzed the annual and seasonal spatial–temporal changes of the river discharges, precipitation, and temperature in the Syr Darya River Basin and then the possible relationships between these factors were detected. Finally, the potential reasons for the river discharge variations have been discussed. The results show that the river discharges in the upper stream of the basin had significantly risen from 1930 to 2006, mainly due to the increase in temperature (approximately 0.3 °C per decade), which accelerated the melting of glaciers, while it decreased in the middle and lower regions due to the rising irrigation. In the middle of the basin, the expansion of the construction land (128.83 km2/year) and agricultural land (66.68 km2/year) from 1992 to 2015 has significantly augmented the water consumption. The operations of reservoirs and irrigation canals significantly intercepted the river discharge from the upper streams, causing a sharp decline in the river discharges in the middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya River in 1973. The outcomes obtained from this study allowed us to understand the changes in the river discharges and provided essential information for effective water resource management in the Syr Darya River Basin.

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“…In Nepal, agriculture practiced by 90% of the active population is highly water dependent, and there is a large need of adaptation in water allocation strategies against climate change, even at high altitudes [43][44][45][46][47]. Moreover, the use of water for small run of river hydropower plants, albeit low in percentage (about 3% of total energy production) is increasing [48,49], and may indeed be impacted by forthcoming water shortage [50].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field Study of Mass Balance, and Hydrology of the West Khangri Nup Glacier (Khumbu, Everest)

Bocchiola

Bombelli

Camin

et al. 2020

Water

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The depiction of glaciers’ dynamics in the high altitudes of Himalaya and the hydrological fluxes therein is often limited. Although sparse seasonal (snow/ice) melt data may be available, dense precipitation networks are not available everywhere, and especially in the highest area, and the assessment of accumulation processes and mass balance may be difficult. Hydrological fluxes are little measured in the high altitudes, and few studies are available covering flow modeling and flow partitioning. Here, we investigate the snow accumulation, ice melt, and mass balance of West Khangri Nup (WKN) glacier (0.23 km2, mean altitude 5494 m asl), which is a part of the Khumbu glacier in the Everest region, where information of precipitation and hydro-glaciological dynamics in the highest altitudes was made available recently in fulfillment of several research projects. Weather, glaciological, snow pits, hydrologic, and isotopic data gathered during field campaigns (2010–2014) on the glacier and at the EVK2CNR Pyramid site were used to (i) set up the Poli-Hydro glacio-hydrological model to describe ice and snow melt and hydrological flows from the glacier, and (ii) investigate seasonal snow dynamics on this high region of the glacier. Coupling ice ablation data and Poli-Hydro simulation for ca. 5 years (January 2010–June 2014), we estimate that the WKN depleted ca. −10.46 m of ice water equivalent per year m IWE year−1 (i.e., annually ca. −2.32 meter of water equivalent per year m WE year−1). Then, using snowpack density and isotopic (δ18O) profiles on the WKN, we demonstrate that the local snowpack is recent (Fall–Winter 2013–2014) and that significant snow accumulation did not occur recently, so this area has not been a significant one of accumulation recently. Analysis of recent snow cover from LANDSAT images also confirms snow dynamics as depicted. Our study presents original data and results, and it complements present studies covering glaciers’ mass balance as well as an investigation of accumulation zones in the Everest region and the Himalayas, which is also potentially helpful in the assessment of future dynamics under ongoing climate change.

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Effects of hydrological changes on cooperation in transnational catchments: the case of the Syr Darya

Cited by 16 publications

References 51 publications

High Mountain Areas

High Mountain Areas

Human and Natural Impacts on the Water Resources in the Syr Darya River Basin, Central Asia

Field Study of Mass Balance, and Hydrology of the West Khangri Nup Glacier (Khumbu, Everest)

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