Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions

Study region: Awash River Basin, Ethiopia: Study focus: Many river basins in sub-Saharan Africa have become vulnerable due to the impact from climate change, weak governance and high levels of poverty. One of the primary concerns is the elevated salinity and the degradation of water quality in the A...

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Autores principales: Jin, L., Whitehead, P.G., Bussi, G., Hirpa, F., Taye, Meron Teferi, Abebe, Y., Charles, K.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117310
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author Jin, L.
Whitehead, P.G.
Bussi, G.
Hirpa, F.
Taye, Meron Teferi
Abebe, Y.
Charles, K.
author_browse Abebe, Y.
Bussi, G.
Charles, K.
Hirpa, F.
Jin, L.
Taye, Meron Teferi
Whitehead, P.G.
author_facet Jin, L.
Whitehead, P.G.
Bussi, G.
Hirpa, F.
Taye, Meron Teferi
Abebe, Y.
Charles, K.
author_sort Jin, L.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Study region: Awash River Basin, Ethiopia: Study focus: Many river basins in sub-Saharan Africa have become vulnerable due to the impact from climate change, weak governance and high levels of poverty. One of the primary concerns is the elevated salinity and the degradation of water quality in the Awash River. Located in the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia, the Awash River has unique hydrochemistry due to water-rock interactions. However, in recent years, increasing anthropogenic activities including the discharge from saline Lake Beseka into the Awash River has caused some concern. This study used an Integrated Catchment Model to simulate chloride concentration in the Awash River Basin by taking both natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity into consideration. Future scenarios of climate change and Lake Beseka discharge were examined to assess the impact to the river water quality. New hydrologic insights: Results show that Lake Beseka has made significant contribution to the rise of the salinity in the Awash River. If the trend of human interference (e.g. increased irrigation and unregulated water transfer) continues, the river downstream of Lake Beseka could see Cl increases up to 200 % in the near future (2006–2030). The modeling results are essential for generating long term plans for proper utilization of water resources especially in the region where the resources and the economic capacity to meet the water demand is lacking.
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spelling CGSpace1173102025-02-19T13:42:06Z Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions Jin, L. Whitehead, P.G. Bussi, G. Hirpa, F. Taye, Meron Teferi Abebe, Y. Charles, K. climate change salinity chlorides anthropogenic factors modelling Study region: Awash River Basin, Ethiopia: Study focus: Many river basins in sub-Saharan Africa have become vulnerable due to the impact from climate change, weak governance and high levels of poverty. One of the primary concerns is the elevated salinity and the degradation of water quality in the Awash River. Located in the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia, the Awash River has unique hydrochemistry due to water-rock interactions. However, in recent years, increasing anthropogenic activities including the discharge from saline Lake Beseka into the Awash River has caused some concern. This study used an Integrated Catchment Model to simulate chloride concentration in the Awash River Basin by taking both natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity into consideration. Future scenarios of climate change and Lake Beseka discharge were examined to assess the impact to the river water quality. New hydrologic insights: Results show that Lake Beseka has made significant contribution to the rise of the salinity in the Awash River. If the trend of human interference (e.g. increased irrigation and unregulated water transfer) continues, the river downstream of Lake Beseka could see Cl increases up to 200 % in the near future (2006–2030). The modeling results are essential for generating long term plans for proper utilization of water resources especially in the region where the resources and the economic capacity to meet the water demand is lacking. 2021-08 2021-12-31T20:17:01Z 2021-12-31T20:17:01Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117310 en Open Access Elsevier Jin, L.; Whitehead, P. G.; Bussi, G.; Hirpa, F.; Taye, Meron Teferi; Abebe, Y.; Charles, K. 2021. Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 36:100865. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100865]
spellingShingle climate change
salinity
chlorides
anthropogenic factors
modelling
Jin, L.
Whitehead, P.G.
Bussi, G.
Hirpa, F.
Taye, Meron Teferi
Abebe, Y.
Charles, K.
Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions
title Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions
title_full Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions
title_fullStr Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions
title_full_unstemmed Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions
title_short Natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the Awash River and Lake Beseka (Ethiopia): modelling impacts of climate change and lake-river interactions
title_sort natural and anthropogenic sources of salinity in the awash river and lake beseka ethiopia modelling impacts of climate change and lake river interactions
topic climate change
salinity
chlorides
anthropogenic factors
modelling
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117310
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