Hydrological responses to climate and land use changes: The paradox of regional and local climate effect in the Pra River Basin of Ghana

Bessah, Enoch; Raji, A. O.; Taiwo, Olalekan John; Agodzo, Sampson K.; Ololade, Olusola O.; Strapasson, Alexandre

doi:10.1016/j.ejrh.2019.100654

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The construction of the dam created 444km 2 of the new water area [81], which is about 19.7% of the of 2251.47 km 2 net gain of water expanse revealed in this study. Recent studies however predict reductions in rainfall and therefore water resources in some of the major river basins in Ghana under future climate scenarios [82,83]. Water quality in the river basins is also being impacted by LULC changes including agricultural and illegal mining activities [84][85][86].…”

Section: Changes In Waterbodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land Cover Changes in Ghana over the Past 24 Years

et al. 2021

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Changes in land cover (LC) can lead to environmental challenges, but few studies have investigated LC changes at a country wide scale in Ghana. Tracking LC changes at such a scale overtime is relevant for devising solutions to emerging issues. This study examined LC changes in Ghana for the past almost two and half decades covering 1995–2019 to highlight significant changes and opportunities for sustainable development. The study used land cover data for six selected years (1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2019) obtained from the European Space Agency. The data was analyzed using R, ArcGIS Pro and Microsoft Excel 365 ProPlus. The original data was reclassified into eight LC categories, namely: agriculture, bare area, built-up, forest, grassland, other vegetation, waterbody, and wetland. On average, the results revealed 0.7%, 131.7%, 23.3%, 46.9%, and 11.2% increases for agriculture, built-up, forest, waterbody, and wetland, respectively, across the nation. However, losses were observed for bare area (92.8%), grassland (51.1%), and other vegetation (41%) LCs overall. Notably, agricultural land use increased up to 2015 and decreased subsequently but this did not affect production of the major staple foods. These findings reveal the importance of LC monitoring and the need for strategic efforts to address the causes of undesirable change.

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Section: Changes In Waterbodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land Cover Changes in Ghana over the Past 24 Years

et al. 2021

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“…Drought and floods are global problems and the world's most damaging and pressing natural hazards [1,2], causing billions of dollars in global damage and collectively affecting more people than any other climate-related disaster. Meteorological drought and flood are a reflection of extreme rainfall events, the characteristics of which are difficult to objectively quantify in terms of frequency, intensity, duration, and spatial extent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Leng et al [8] showed that the degree, duration, and frequency of the drought in Southern China could increase in the future. Bessah et al [1] claimed that the drought frequency had an upward trend in humid regions, and the flood frequency varied between regions. Zhao et al [9] showed the frequency changes for the 100-year meteorological drought could be quite severe, with up to a 20-fold increase observed over some watersheds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the Evolution of Drought, Flood, and Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation Events under Climate Change Using the Daily SWAP Index

Zhao

Weng

Chen

et al. 2020

Water

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With the increase of drought and flood frequency, the drought-flood abrupt alternation events occur frequently. Due to the coexistence and rapid transformation of drought and flood, the drought-flood abrupt alternation events is often more harmful and threatening than the single drought or flood event to the security of the society. This study is to synthetically evaluate the evolving characteristics of drought, flood, and drought-flood abrupt alternation events under climate change, which are identified by using the Standard Weighted Average Precipitation (SWAP) index. The variability of drought, flood, and drought-flood abrupt alternation events in the future is predicted by using GCM projections, whose outputs are corrected by using a daily bias correction method. The results show that: (1) The SWAP index has the capability to judge reliably the onset, duration, and intensity over the study areas, and can be used to monitor drought-flood abrupt alternation events efficiently; (2) In the reference period (1961–2005), for the drought-flood abrupt alternation events, the frequency has a downward trend in the upper reaches and an upward trend in the lower reaches, and the spatial distribution of intensity shows a contrary law to that of frequency; (3) The frequency and intensity of drought-flood abrupt alternation events show an upward trend in the whole basin in the future period (2021–2095), under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. These results indicate that drought-flood abrupt alternation events can be more frequent, and the intensity will significantly increase in the 21st century, which may likely pose a serious impact on this basin.

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“…Other anthropogenic activities, such as wood harvesting for domestic uses or charcoal production, may contribute to the observed landscape degradation. Ultimately, the diminution of natural vegetation may be also exacerbated by climate change, which acts synergistically with anthropogenic pressures [80][81][82]. [83].…”

Section: Lulc Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small Reservoirs, Landscape Changes and Water Quality in Sub-Saharan West Africa

Cecchi

Forkuor

Cofie

et al. 2020

Water

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Small reservoirs (SRs) are essential water storage infrastructures for rural populations of Sub-Saharan West Africa. In recent years, rapid population increase has resulted in unprecedented land use and land cover (LULC) changes. Our study documents the impacts of such changes on the water quality of SRs in Burkina Faso. Multi-temporal Landsat images were analyzed to determine LULC evolutions at various scales between 2002 and 2014. Population densities were calculated from downloaded 2014 population data. In situ water samples collected in 2004/5 and 2014 from selected SRs were analyzed for Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) loads, an integrative proxy for water quality. The expansion of crop and artificial areas at the expense of natural covers controlled LULC changes over the period. We found a very significant correlation between SPM loads and population densities calculated at a watershed scale. A general increase between the two sampling dates in the inorganic component of SPM loads, concomitant with a clear expansion of cropland areas at a local scale, was evidenced. Results of the study suggest that two complementary but independent indicators (i.e., LULC changes within 5-km buffer areas around SRs and demographic changes at watershed scale), relevantly reflected the nature and intensity of overall pressures exerted by humans on their environment, and locally on aquatic ecosystems. Recommendations related to the re-greening of peripheral areas around SRs in order to protect water bodies are suggested.

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Hydrological responses to climate and land use changes: The paradox of regional and local climate effect in the Pra River Basin of Ghana

Cited by 21 publications

References 25 publications

Land Cover Changes in Ghana over the Past 24 Years

Land Cover Changes in Ghana over the Past 24 Years

Analysis of the Evolution of Drought, Flood, and Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation Events under Climate Change Using the Daily SWAP Index

Small Reservoirs, Landscape Changes and Water Quality in Sub-Saharan West Africa

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