Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa
Groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa supports livelihoods and poverty alleviation maintains vital ecosystems, and strongly influences terrestrial water and energy budgets. Yet the hydrological processes that govern groundwater recharge and sustainability—and their sensitivity to climatic variability—ar...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Springer
2019
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/103225 |
| _version_ | 1855517443020029952 |
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| author | Cuthbert, Mark O. Taylor, Richard G. Favreau, Guillaume Todd, Martin C. Shamsudduha, Mohammad Villholth, Karen G. MacDonald, Alan M. Scanlon, Bridget R. Kotchoni, D.O. Valerie Vouillamoz, Jean-Michel Lawson, Fabrice M.A. Adjomayi, Philippe Armand Kashaigili, Japhet J. Seddon, David Sorensen, James P. R. Ebrahim, Girma Yimer Owor, Michael Nyenje, Philip M. Nazoumou, Yahaya Goni, Ibrahim Ousmane, Boukari Issoufou Sibanda, Tenant Ascott, Matthew J. Macdonald, David M.J. Agyekum, William Koussoubé, Youssouf Wanke, Heike Kim, Hyungjun Wada, Yoshihide Lo, Min-Hui Oki, Taikan Kukuric, Neno |
| author_browse | Adjomayi, Philippe Armand Agyekum, William Ascott, Matthew J. Cuthbert, Mark O. Ebrahim, Girma Yimer Favreau, Guillaume Goni, Ibrahim Kashaigili, Japhet J. Kim, Hyungjun Kotchoni, D.O. Valerie Koussoubé, Youssouf Kukuric, Neno Lawson, Fabrice M.A. Lo, Min-Hui MacDonald, Alan M. Macdonald, David M.J. Nazoumou, Yahaya Nyenje, Philip M. Oki, Taikan Ousmane, Boukari Issoufou Owor, Michael Scanlon, Bridget R. Seddon, David Shamsudduha, Mohammad Sibanda, Tenant Sorensen, James P. R. Taylor, Richard G. Todd, Martin C. Villholth, Karen G. Vouillamoz, Jean-Michel Wada, Yoshihide Wanke, Heike |
| author_facet | Cuthbert, Mark O. Taylor, Richard G. Favreau, Guillaume Todd, Martin C. Shamsudduha, Mohammad Villholth, Karen G. MacDonald, Alan M. Scanlon, Bridget R. Kotchoni, D.O. Valerie Vouillamoz, Jean-Michel Lawson, Fabrice M.A. Adjomayi, Philippe Armand Kashaigili, Japhet J. Seddon, David Sorensen, James P. R. Ebrahim, Girma Yimer Owor, Michael Nyenje, Philip M. Nazoumou, Yahaya Goni, Ibrahim Ousmane, Boukari Issoufou Sibanda, Tenant Ascott, Matthew J. Macdonald, David M.J. Agyekum, William Koussoubé, Youssouf Wanke, Heike Kim, Hyungjun Wada, Yoshihide Lo, Min-Hui Oki, Taikan Kukuric, Neno |
| author_sort | Cuthbert, Mark O. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa supports livelihoods and poverty alleviation maintains vital ecosystems, and strongly influences terrestrial water and energy budgets. Yet the hydrological processes that govern groundwater recharge and sustainability—and their sensitivity to climatic variability—are poorly constrained. Given the absence of firm observational constraints, it remains to be seen whether model-based projections of decreased water resources in dry parts of the region are justified. Here we show, through analysis of multidecadal groundwater hydrographs across sub-Saharan Africa, that levels of aridity dictate the predominant recharge processes, whereas local hydrogeology influences the type and sensitivity of precipitation–recharge relationships. Recharge in some humid locations varies by as little as five per cent (by coefficient of variation) across a wide range of annual precipitation values. Other regions, by contrast, show roughly linear precipitation–recharge relationships, with precipitation thresholds (of roughly ten millimetres or less per day) governing the initiation of recharge. These thresholds tend to rise as aridity increases, and recharge in drylands is more episodic and increasingly dominated by focused recharge through losses from ephemeral overland flows. Extreme annual recharge is commonly associated with intense rainfall and flooding events, themselves often driven by large-scale climate controls. Intense precipitation, even during years of lower overall precipitation, produces some of the largest years of recharge in some dry subtropical locations. Our results therefore challenge the ‘high certainty’ consensus regarding decreasing water resources4 in such regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The potential resilience of groundwater to climate variability in many areas that is revealed by these precipitation–recharge relationships is essential for informing reliable predictions of climate-change impacts and adaptation strategies. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace103225 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publishDateRange | 2019 |
| publishDateSort | 2019 |
| publisher | Springer |
| publisherStr | Springer |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1032252024-03-27T18:53:36Z Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa Cuthbert, Mark O. Taylor, Richard G. Favreau, Guillaume Todd, Martin C. Shamsudduha, Mohammad Villholth, Karen G. MacDonald, Alan M. Scanlon, Bridget R. Kotchoni, D.O. Valerie Vouillamoz, Jean-Michel Lawson, Fabrice M.A. Adjomayi, Philippe Armand Kashaigili, Japhet J. Seddon, David Sorensen, James P. R. Ebrahim, Girma Yimer Owor, Michael Nyenje, Philip M. Nazoumou, Yahaya Goni, Ibrahim Ousmane, Boukari Issoufou Sibanda, Tenant Ascott, Matthew J. Macdonald, David M.J. Agyekum, William Koussoubé, Youssouf Wanke, Heike Kim, Hyungjun Wada, Yoshihide Lo, Min-Hui Oki, Taikan Kukuric, Neno groundwater recharge climate change resilience groundwater table observation precipitation hydrology hydrography models arid zones rain Groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa supports livelihoods and poverty alleviation maintains vital ecosystems, and strongly influences terrestrial water and energy budgets. Yet the hydrological processes that govern groundwater recharge and sustainability—and their sensitivity to climatic variability—are poorly constrained. Given the absence of firm observational constraints, it remains to be seen whether model-based projections of decreased water resources in dry parts of the region are justified. Here we show, through analysis of multidecadal groundwater hydrographs across sub-Saharan Africa, that levels of aridity dictate the predominant recharge processes, whereas local hydrogeology influences the type and sensitivity of precipitation–recharge relationships. Recharge in some humid locations varies by as little as five per cent (by coefficient of variation) across a wide range of annual precipitation values. Other regions, by contrast, show roughly linear precipitation–recharge relationships, with precipitation thresholds (of roughly ten millimetres or less per day) governing the initiation of recharge. These thresholds tend to rise as aridity increases, and recharge in drylands is more episodic and increasingly dominated by focused recharge through losses from ephemeral overland flows. Extreme annual recharge is commonly associated with intense rainfall and flooding events, themselves often driven by large-scale climate controls. Intense precipitation, even during years of lower overall precipitation, produces some of the largest years of recharge in some dry subtropical locations. Our results therefore challenge the ‘high certainty’ consensus regarding decreasing water resources4 in such regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The potential resilience of groundwater to climate variability in many areas that is revealed by these precipitation–recharge relationships is essential for informing reliable predictions of climate-change impacts and adaptation strategies. 2019-08-08 2019-08-16T13:22:19Z 2019-08-16T13:22:19Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/103225 en Open Access Springer Cuthbert, M. O., Taylor, R. G., Favreau, G., Todd, M. C., Shamsudduha, M., Villholth, K. G., MacDonald, A. M., Scanlon, B. R., Kotchoni, D. O. V., Vouillamoz, J.-M., Lawson, F. M. A., Adjomayi, P. A., Kashaigili, J., Seddon, D., Sorensen, J. P. R., Ebrahim, G. Y., Owor, M., Nyenje, P. M., Nazoumou, Y., … Kukuric, N. (2019). Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nature (Vol. 572, Issue 7768, pp. 230–234). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1441-7 |
| spellingShingle | groundwater recharge climate change resilience groundwater table observation precipitation hydrology hydrography models arid zones rain Cuthbert, Mark O. Taylor, Richard G. Favreau, Guillaume Todd, Martin C. Shamsudduha, Mohammad Villholth, Karen G. MacDonald, Alan M. Scanlon, Bridget R. Kotchoni, D.O. Valerie Vouillamoz, Jean-Michel Lawson, Fabrice M.A. Adjomayi, Philippe Armand Kashaigili, Japhet J. Seddon, David Sorensen, James P. R. Ebrahim, Girma Yimer Owor, Michael Nyenje, Philip M. Nazoumou, Yahaya Goni, Ibrahim Ousmane, Boukari Issoufou Sibanda, Tenant Ascott, Matthew J. Macdonald, David M.J. Agyekum, William Koussoubé, Youssouf Wanke, Heike Kim, Hyungjun Wada, Yoshihide Lo, Min-Hui Oki, Taikan Kukuric, Neno Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa |
| title | Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full | Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_fullStr | Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_short | Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_sort | observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub saharan africa |
| topic | groundwater recharge climate change resilience groundwater table observation precipitation hydrology hydrography models arid zones rain |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/103225 |
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