Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change and Land Use

Abstract

Water is a basic, necessary condition for life. It is referred to as the main commodity of the 21st century. There are already many areas in the world where its deficiency causes the degradation of landscape components (soil, flora, fauna), leading to the abandonment of this landscape and a gradual deterioration into desert. Desertification can lead to poverty, health problems and loss of biodiversity. Such negative processes can be caused by human influence either directly or indirectly. Indirectly, the civilization has an impact on water as a result of climate change influenced by its activities. The matter of climate change is currently a very frequently discussed issue. Climate change on planet Earth has been ongoing in the past and continues to happen today. However, most alarming is the fact that change is currently happening much faster and with increasing intensity. For this reason, the issue of climate change is no longer perceived only as a possible future threat, but rather is considered as one of the crucial environmental problems of today.

Quantitatively Assessing the Future Land-Use/Land-Cover Changes and Their Driving Factors in the Upper Stream of the Awash River Based on the CA–Markov Model and Their Implications for Water Resources Management

“…LULC change is increasingly burdening the future water bodies. The gradual deterioration of water bodies can lead to landscape component degradation (flora, soil, and fauna), leading to desertification, which in turn leads to health problems, poverty, and loss of biodiversity [125]. Deforestation is one of the changes in LULC, which is considered to be the main cause of changes in hydrological processes such as surface runoff, sediment production, evapotranspiration, groundwater, infiltration, lateral flow, and rainfall interception [126][127][128][129][130].…”

“…It has been noted that changes in LULC will have an impact on natural resources, especially water resources in semi-arid areas [62]. Land-use and climate change are the two main driving forces that affect the hydrological processes of the watershed [125]. However, the impact of LULC changes on the hydrological system is a complex process, depending on the size of the affected area, the type of land use, and its landscape.…”

Anthropogenic Land Use and Land Cover Change as Potential Drivers of Sediment Sources in the Upper Crocodile River, North West Province, South Africa

“…The increase in land use and land cover components driven by anthropogenic activities has led to the gradual deterioration of water quality of the Crocodile River [ 51 ], as well as the degradation of flora, soil and fauna, leading to desertification through the expansion of bare land, which in turn leads to soil loss and the loss of biodiversity [ 75 ]. It has been noted that changes in land use and land cover aggravate the problems relating to the use of natural resources, especially water resources, in semi-arid areas [ 76 ], with the underlying factors related to increased human activities.…”

Forschungsdimension der European University on Responsible Consumption and Production – EURECA-PRO

“…Die globale Wassernutzung steht nicht nur im Zusammenhang mit der vom Menschen verursachten Verbrauch von Süßwasser (blauem Wasser), sondern ist eng mit dem globalen klimabedingten Wasserkreislauf verbunden. Eine Veränderung der grünen Wasserströme (Niederschlag, der die Bodenfeuchtigkeit erhöht und nicht abfließt, sondern verdampft oder verdunstet) kann Auswirkungen auf die Klimaregulierung haben [23] und lokale und regionale Niederschlagsmuster beeinflussen, die zu Veränderungen wie Bodendegradation oder Entwaldung führen können [5]. Deshalb forscht EURECA-PRO auch im Bereich der zirkulären nachhaltigen Wasserwirtschaft.…”