Climate Data Information

Climate Change Impact Part 11: Example –Turkey Summary The Yesilirmak Basin in northern Turkey drains into the Black Sea.  The basin is currently highly developed for hydropower and irrigation. The impact of climate change will be to reduce annual flow. Currently snow melt in late spring provides water at the start of the irrigation season; critically, the biggest reduction in flow will be during this period. To maintain current levels of irrigation will require additional storage.  Introduction The Yeşilirmak basin in northern Turkey has a drainage area of around 36,000 km2 and flows into the Black Sea. The basin is mountainous with parts of the basin reaching elevations in excess of 2,000m. The aim of the study was to develop an understanding of the water balance of the basin and then to examine the potential effects of climate change on the basin. The basin is heavily developed, mainly for irrigation and hydropower. Figure  1  Yesili...

Climate Change Impact Part 8: Example – Samoa Summary Some of the roads on Samoa had been damaged in recent storms and the objective of the project was to prepare the rehabilitation taking account of climate change. Climate data, including rainfall at a 10-inute time step for two stations were obtained. The data showed that there was a significant increase in rainfall with elevation (which might explain why the most severe damage to the roads was at highest elevations). A methodology was developed to estimate the storm intensity for a range of durations and return period taking account of climate change. Introduction Samoa consists of two main islands shown on the following map. Both islands have a road network. On Upolo there are roads around and across the island. On Savai’I the roads run around the island. There is a third island, to the east of and smaller than these two, which is a US territory. Figure  1  Map of Samoa The main aim of ...

Climate Change Impact Part 4: Example – River Mekong Summary A component of a study of the impact of climate change in Cambodia examined how flows in the Mekong River will change in the future. Climate data on precipitation, temperature and other climate variables were used as input to a hydrological model, HYSIM, of the Mekong Basin. The model was calibrated to observed flows at six gauging stations on the main river. The calibrated hydrological model was then used with climate projections to estimate future flows in the River Mekong. Introduction The Mekong River Basin has a drainage area of 795,000 km 2 and the river is 4350 km in length. The river rises in China at an elevation 5224 m. The river, or its tributaries, also flow through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The river’s flow is highly seasonal, dictated by snow melt in the upper reaches and by the Monsoon in the middle and lower reaches. (At the point where the flow was simulated, Kom...