Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources of Al-Adhaim, Iraq Using SWAT Model

SWAT model (Sediment and Water Assessment Tool) was used to evaluate the impacts of climate change on water resources in Al-Adhaim Basin which is located in north east of Iraq. Al-Adhaim River is the main source of fresh water to Kirkuk City, one of the largest cities of Iraq. Recent studies have shown that blue and green waters of the basin have been manifesting increasing variability contributing to more severe droughts and floods apparently due to climate change. In order to gain greater appreciation of the impacts of climate change on water resources in the study area in near and distant future, SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) has been used. The model is first tested for its suitability in capturing the basin characteristics, and then, forecasts from six GCMs with about half-a-century lead time to 2046-2064 and one-century lead time to 2080-2100 are incorporated to evaluate the impacts of climate change on water resources under three emission scenarios: A2, A1B and B1. The results showed worsening water resources regime into the future.Validerad; 2016; Nivå 1; 2016-11-29 (inah)</p

Locating Dam Sites For Water Harvesting : Case Study Of Najaf Province, Iraq

The Middle East is considered as an arid area. Iraq was an exception due to the presence of the Tigris  and  Euphrates  Rivers. After  1970,  the  flow  of  these  rivers  started  to  decrease  due  to  climate change  and  building  of  dams  in  the  upper  parts  of  the  catchments  of  the  rivers.  Now,  Iraq  is experiencing  water  shortage  problems.  Rain  water  harvesting  will  definitely  minimize  the  effect  of water shortage problems. In this research an arid area was selected (al Najaf) to find out the best sites for water harvesting using GIS techniques. The good agreement between the results from a simple GIS model  and  observations  in  cases  such  as  al  Najaf  Sea  is  indicating  a  promising  future  for  GIS application  in  hydrological  modeling.  The  present  study  proposed  a  function  formula  of  estimating suitable dam site using existing geographic information map such as the digital elevation maps. It is expected that it will save time, cost and work force. Finally, through the contour map of the study area, the lowest three elevation values at the governorate level were observed (20, 40, 60m). Based on these values, three possibilities were suggested to select the dam sites.Validerad;2020;Nivå 1;2019-12-17 (johcin)</p

Model-Based Assessment of Climate Change Impact on Isaac River Catchment, Queensland

Isaac River catchment, which is located within Fitzroy basin in Central Queensland, Australia is mostly a semi-arid region, sparsely populated, but rife with economic activities such as mining, grazing, cropping and production forestry. Hydro-meteorological data over the past several decades reveal that the catchment is experiencing increasing variability in precipitation and streamflow contributing to more severe droughts and floods supposedly due to climate change. The exposure of the economic activities in the catchment to the vagaries of nature and the possible impacts of climate change on the stream flow regime are to be analyzed. For the purpose, SWAT model was adopted to capture the dynamics of the catchment. During calibration of the model 12parameters were found to be significant which yielded a R2 value of 0.73 for calibration and 0.66 for validation. In the next stage, six GCMs from CMIP3 namely, CGCM3.1/T47, CNRM-CM3, GFDLCM2.1, IPSLCM4, MIROC3.2 (medres) and MRI CGCM2.3.2 were selected for climate change projections in the Fitzroy basin under a very high emissions scenario (A2), a medium emissions scenario(A1B) and a low emissions scenario (B1) for two future periods (2046-2064) and (2080-2100). All GCMs showed consistent increases in temperature, and as expected, highest rate for A2 and lowest rate for B1. Precipitation predictions were mixed-reductions in A2 and increases in A1B and B1, and more variations in distant future compared to near future. When the projected temperaturesand precipitation were inputted into the SWAT model, and the model outputs were compared with the baseline period (1980-2010), the picture that emerged depicted worsening water resources variability.Validerad; 2016; Nivå 1; 20160729 (nadhir

Assessment of climate change impacts on water resources of Khabour in Kurdistan , Iraq using SWAT model

The Khabour River is one of five tributaries of Tigris River and the first river flows into Tigris River contributing to Tigris Flow by about 2 BCM at Zakho Station. The area of this catchment is 6,143 km2, of which 57% are located in Turkey and 43% in Iraq with a total length of 181 km. Khabour River is the main source of fresh water to Duhok City, one of the major cities of Kurdistan Region. Hydrometeorological data over the past several decades reveal that the catchment is experiencing increasing variability in precipitation and stream flow contributing to more severe droughts and floods presumably due to climate change. SWAT model was applied to capture the dynamics of the basin. The model was calibrated at Zakho station. The performance of the model was rather satisfactory; R2 and ENC were 0.5 and 0.51, respectively in calibration period. In validation process R2 and ENC were nearly consistent. In the next stage, six GCMs from CMIP3 namely, CGCM3.1/T47, CNRM-CM3, GFDL-CM2.1, IPSLCM4, MIROC3.2 (medres) and MRI CGCM2.3.2 were selected for climate change projections in the basin under a very high emissions scenario (A2), a medium emissions scenario (A1B) and a low emissions scenario (B1) for two future periods (2046-2064) and (2080-2100). All GCMs showed consistent increases in temperature and decreases in precipitation, and as expected, highest rate for A2 and lowest rate for B1. The projected temperatures and precipitation were input to the SWAT model to project water resources, and the model outputs were compared with the baseline period (1980-2010), the picture that emerged depicted deteriorating water resources variability.Validerad; 2016; Nivå 1; 2016-11-30 (inah)</p

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources in Diyala River Basin, Iraq

Diyala River is the third largest tributary of the Tigris River running 445 km length and draining an area of 32,600 km2. The river is the major source of water supply for Diyala City for municipal, domestic, agriculture and other purposes. Diyala River Basin currently is suffering from water scarcity and contamination problems. Up-to-date studies have shown that blue and green waters of a basin have been demonstrating increasing variability contributing to more severe droughts and floods seemingly due to climate change. To obtain better understanding of the impacts of climate change on water resources in Diyala River Basin in near 2046~2064 and distant future 2080~2100, SWAT (soil and water assessment tool) was used. The model is first examined for its capability of capturing the basin characteristics, and then, projections from six GCMs (general circulation models) are incorporated  to assess the impacts of climate change on water resources under three emission scenarios: A2, A1B and B1. The results showed deteriorating water resources regime into the future.Validerad; 2016; Nivå 1; 2016-11-29 (kribac)</p

Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources of Greater Zab River, Iraq

Greater Zab is the largest tributary of the Tigris River in Iraq where the catchment area is currently being plagued by water scarcity and pollution problems. Contemporary studies have revealed that blue and green waters of the basin have been manifesting increasing variability contributing to more severe droughts and floods apparently due to climate change. In order to gain greater appreciation of the impacts of climate change on water resources in the study area in near and distant future, SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) has been used. The model is first tested for its suitability in capturing the basin characteristics, and then, orecasts from six GCMs (general circulation models) with about half-a-century lead time to 2046~2064 and one-century lead time to 2080~2100 are incorporated to evaluate the impacts of climate change on water resources under three emission scenarios: A1B, A2 and B1. The results showed worsening water resources regime into the future.Validerad; 2017; Nivå 1; 2017-02-16 (andbra)</p

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources of Greater Zab and Lesser Zab Basins, Iraq, Using Soil and Water Assessment Tool Model

The Greater Zab and Lesser Zab are the major tributaries of Tigris River contributing the largest flow volumes into the river. The impacts of climate change on water resources in these basins have not been well addressed. To gain a better understanding of the effects of climate change on water resources of the study area in near future (2049-2069) as well as in distant future (2080-2099), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied. The model was first calibrated for the period from 1979 to 2004 to test its suitability in describing the hydrological processes in the basins. The SWAT model showed a good performance in simulating streamflow. The calibrated model was then used to evaluate the impacts of climate change on water resources. Six general circulation models (GCMs) from phase five of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) under three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5 for periods of 2049-2069 and 2080-2099 were used to project the climate change impacts on these basins. The results demonstrated a significant decline in water resources availability in the future

Assessment of Climate Change Impact on Water Resources of Lesser Zab, Kurdistan, Iraq Using SWAT Model

Kurdistan in northern Iraq, a semi-arid region, predominantly a pastureland, is nourished by Lesser Zab, which is the second major tributary of Tigris River. The discharge in the tributary, in recent times, has been experiencing increasing variability contributing to more severe droughts and floods supposedly due to climate change. For a proper appreciation, SWAT model has been used to assess the impact of climate change on its hydrological components for a half-centennial lead time to 2046-2064 and a centennial lead time to 2080-2100. The suitability of the model was first evaluated, and then, outputs from six GCMs were incorporated to evaluate the impacts of climate change on water resources under three emission scenarios: A1B, A2 and B1. The results showed worsening water resources regime.Validerad; 2016; Nivå 1; 2016-11-29 (inah)</p

The Trophic State Index of Bahr Al-Najaf Depression reservoir, Iraq

Bahr Al-Najaf Depression Reservoir (BNDR) is located 5 kilometers south-southwest of Najaf city in central Iraq. It covers an area of approximately 360 square kilometers. Carlson’s Trophic State Index (CTSI) was applied to the BNDR. To do so, Chlorophyll (A), total phosphorus (TP), Secchi disc depth Transparency (SD) and some physiochemical parameters were measured. The mean value of Chl-a was 1,06 (±1,33), the maximum and minimum values of TSI based on total Chl-a were recorded during summer and spring respectively. The classification of trophic state using TSI (TP) and TSI (SD) was closed, but by using TSI (Chl-a) it was much higher, the value of TSI (Chl-a) > TSI (TP) >TSI (SD), the CTSI value of BNDR was between 35.11-71.33 (r2 = -27, 53), the highest value of CTSI was in summer while the lowest values were during winter, the average of physiochemical parameters (±standard deviation) were: 26,5 (±1,42), 7,6 (±0,88), 0,1 (±0,16), 71 (±16,57), 10100 (±5591), 1,55 (±2,26), 53350 (±24143), 243299 (±358773), 30752 (±44649), 20 (±13), 2499 (±1819), 2659 (±2561), 0,22 (±0,02), 0,32 (±0,06) for temperature, pH, DO, Ec, HCO- 3, TN, TH, Cl- SO= 4 , TOC, Na+, K+, Fe+, and Mn+ respectively. According to CTSI, BNDR can be classified as eutrophic. CTSI results were very close to those of lakes Sawa and Al-Razzazah, while there were some slight differences when compared with Al-Habbanayh and Derbandikhan lakes, where the level of trophic index was decreasing (56, and 52 for Al-Habbanayh lake and Derbandikhan lake respectively).Validerad; 2016; Nivå 1; 20160131 (nadhir

Water Scarcity : Problems and Possible solutions

Iraq relies in its water resources on the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries. It used to be considered rich in its water resources until 1970. Then, the water quantity started to decrease due to the construction of hydrological projects within the riparian countries as well as the effect of climate change. In addition, water management planning in Iraq requires number of strategies that can help to overcome the water shortage problem. In this work, the negative problems are discussed and solutions are given to solve the water shortage problem.Validerad;2020;Nivå 1;2020-11-23 (alebob)</p