Global-scale characterization of streamflow extremes

Kuntla, Sai Kiran; Saharia, Manabendra; Kirstetter, Pierre‐Emmanuel

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128668

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 74 publications

(92 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The context for these changing hydrologic extremes is a variable and changing climate. Global average surface temperatures have risen by 1.1 °C since the late nineteenth century [3,7,8], mainly due to anthropogenic climate change. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the warmest years on record have occurred since 2015, with the top three warmest years being 2016, 2019, and 2020 [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrologic Extremes in a Changing Climate: a Review of Extremes in East Africa

Taye,

Dyer

2024

Curr Clim Change Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Eastern Africa has a complex hydroclimate and socio-economic context, making it vulnerable to climate change-induced hydrological extremes. This review presents recent research on drivers and typologies of extremes across different geographies and highlights challenges and improvements in forecasting hydrological extremes at various timescales. Recent Findings Droughts and floods remain the major challenges of the region. Recently, frequent alterations between droughts and floods have been a common occurrence and concern. Research underlines the heterogeneity of extremes and the impact of climate change as increased intensity and duration of extremes. Moreover, the importance of local and antecedent conditions in changing the characteristics of extremes is emphasized. Summary A better understanding of these drivers and how they interact is required. Observational and modeling tools must capture these relationships and extremes on short timescales. Although there are improvements in forecasting these extremes, providing relevant information beyond meteorological variables requires further research.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrologic Extremes in a Changing Climate: a Review of Extremes in East Africa

Taye,

Dyer

2024

Curr Clim Change Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Investigating streamflow inequality globally requires a globally representative streamflow dataset and other datasets, which are not easily available. Besides, a study with a large-sample approach is expected to provide more robust insights on catchment behavior that can be widely accepted (Addor et al, 2020;Kuntla et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation Inequality Exacerbates Streamflow Inequality, but Dams Moderate it

Kuntla,

Saharia,

Prakash

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Access to clean water is a fundamental human right, yet millions worldwide face the dire consequences of water scarcity and inadequate sanitation. Water inequality, characterized by disparities in access and availability of water resources, has emerged as a critical global challenge with far-reaching social, economic, and environmental implications. Using a globally representative observational streamflow dataset and Gini coefficients, this study investigates how streamflow inequality, which has a large impact on inequality of water availability, varies spatially and temporally, and its relationship with different underlying catchment characteristics. This study finds that watersheds in arid climates exhibit a higher degree of streamflow inequality than polar and equatorial ones. Africa experiences the highest streamflow inequality, followed by Australia, while South America experiences relatively lower streamflow inequality. Around 19.6% of the catchments in Australia display an increasing trend in streamflow inequality, pointing to worsening conditions. Conversely, South America experiences a decreasing trend in streamflow inequality in 18.3% of its catchments during the same period. It is also found that a more evenly distributed precipitation within the catchment and higher dam storage capacity corresponds to more evenly distributed streamflow availability throughout the year. This study enhances our understanding of streamflow inequality worldwide, which will aid policy formulation to foster sustainable development.

show abstract