Journal of Water and Climate Change 

About: Journal of Water and Climate Change is an academic journal published by IWA Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Climate change & Environmental science. It has an ISSN identifier of 2040-2244. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1169 publications have been published receiving 10061 citations.

Modelling climate change impacts on the flood pulse in the Lower Mekong floodplains

Abstract: The flood pulse is a key element characterizing the hydrology of the Mekong River and driving the high ecosystem productivity in the Lower Mekong floodplains, both in the Cambodian lowlands and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. This paper assesses the impacts of climate change, both in terms of changed basin water balance and sea level rise, on the Lower Mekong flood pulse. The impacts were simulated by a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model using the projected changes in sea level and the Mekong mainstream discharge under the influence of climate change as boundary conditions. The model simulations projected that average and maximum water levels and flood duration increase in 2010–2049. The most consistent and notable changes occurred in the average and dry hydrological years. Sea level rise had the greatest effects in the Mekong Delta, whereas the impacts of changed basin water balance were more notable in the upper areas of the Mekong floodplains. The projected impacts were mostly opposite to those resulting from regional water infrastructure development. Higher and longer flooding could cause damage to crops, infrastructure and floodplain vegetation, and decrease the fertile land area. On the other hand, it might boost ecosystem productivity and enhance dry season water availability.

Potential impacts of climate change on groundwater resources – a global review

Abstract: Groundwater is a vital resource for sustaining life. Changes in the Earth’s climate have the potential to affect both the quality and quantity of available groundwater, primarily through impacts on recharge, evapotranspiration and (indirectly) on pumpage and abstraction. Groundwater is a major contributor to streamflow in areas with relatively shallow water tables, so changes in groundwater systems may also impact surface-water systems. As a result, understanding how climate change could affect groundwater systems is a vital component of sound long-term management of our water supplies. However, predicting how climate change could impact groundwater systems is difficult. Part of the difficulty is rooted in uncertainties in the predictions of future climate. However, even if we were certain regarding future climate, forecasting future groundwater conditions would still be difficult because of the complex combinations of processes that affect groundwater recharge, discharge and quality. Better observations, increased understanding of processes and modeling capabilities will be needed to assess the future of this vital resource in the face of projected climate changes.

A review of the adaptation and mitigation of global climate change using sustainable drainage in cities

Abstract: Sustainable drainage (SUDS) is well known for its equal emphasis on water quality, water quantity, amenity and biodiversity. What is now beginning to be realised is that this approach can also help mitigate the impacts of global climate change (GCC) and provide assistance to city dwellers in adapting to the changes which have already occurred. By using case studies from around the world, this paper illustrates how vegetated SUDS devices can sequester and store carbon, cool urban areas and increase perceptions of health and well-being in the populace. Both vegetated and hard-engineered structures can evaporate water contained within them and are thus being used in cities to cool the overlying air. Also shown is the extent to which SUDS devices such as green roofs and wet pavements are being used to mitigate the urban heat island effect, which, while not caused by climate change, exacerbates its impacts. Of the houses needed by 2040 in the UK, 80% already exist. In order to take advantage of the ability of SUDS to tackle some of the impacts of GCC, the emphasis must be placed on retrofitting technologies to existing buildings and this review proposes a simple hierarchy of suitable measures based on the density and land-use of the built-up area.

Securing 2020 vision for 2030: climate change and ensuring resilience in water and sanitation services.

Abstract: Drinking-water supply and sanitation services are essential for human health, but their technologies and management systems are potentially vulnerable to climate change. An assessment was made of the resilience of water supply and sanitation systems against forecast climate changes by 2020 and 2030. The results showed very few technologies are resilient to climate change and the sustainability of the current progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may be significantly undermined. Management approaches are more important than technology in building resilience for water supply, but the reverse is true for sanitation. Whilst climate change represents a significant threat to sustainable drinking-water and sanitation services, through no-regrets actions and using opportunities to increase service quality, climate change may be a driver for improvements that have been insufficiently delivered to date.