Predicting runoff and sediment responses to climate-resilient land use and management scenarios.

Autor: Berihun ML; Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan. mulatuliyew@yahoo.com.; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Tropical Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, USA. mulatuliyew@yahoo.com.; Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. mulatuliyew@yahoo.com., Tsunekawa A; Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan., Haregeweyn N; International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan., Tsubo M; Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan., Fenta AA; International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan., Ebabu K; Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan., Bayabil HK; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Tropical Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, USA., Dile YT; NextEra Energy Inc., Okeechobee Blvd Unit 1205, West Palm Beach, FL, 33411, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental science and pollution research international [Environ Sci Pollut Res Int] 2023 Jun; Vol. 30 (28), pp. 72262-72283. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 11.
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27452-w
Abstrakt: Soil erosion is the predominant agent affecting ecosystem services in the Ethiopian highlands. However, land management interventions aimed at controlling erosion in the region are hampered, mainly by a lack of watershed-based appropriate management practices and anticipated climate changes. This study examined the effectiveness of different land use changes and management scenarios in decreasing runoff and sediment loss under current and future climates in the drought-prone humid watershed of the Ethiopian highlands. We employed a modeling approach integrating observed data at watershed and plot scales with Soil and Water Assessment Tool. In the first step, we evaluated the impact of land use changes between 2006 and 2017 on runoff and sediment loss. Then, we developed five land use and management scenarios based on watershed land capabilities and selected land management practices. Model parameters were modified based on runoff and sediment loss results obtained from experimental plots of biophysical and agronomical land management practices in the watershed. The runoff and sediment loss were simulated under current (2014-2019) and future climates (the 2050s) for each land use and management scenario. Results revealed that land use changes (mainly an increase in Acacia decurrens plantations by 206%) alone between 2006 and 2017 reduced runoff by 31% and sediment loss by 45%. Under the current climate, the five land use and management scenarios reduced runoff by 71-95% and sediment loss by 75-96% compared to the baseline scenario. Under the future climate (2050s), these scenarios decreased runoff by 48-90% and sediment loss by 54-91%. However, their effectiveness was slightly decreased (5-23%) as a result of increases in rainfall (10-46%) and mean temperature (1.7-1.9 °C) in the 2050s. The scenario of improving vegetation cover through forage production and plantations in appropriate areas plus best land management practices was the most effective and climate-resilient of the five scenarios. This study suggests that evaluating the impact of land use and management practices under future climate change shows promise for guiding effective and sustainable interventions to adapt to climate change.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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