Extended Abstract (2.2M)9.8
Vulnerability of water resources in eastern Mediterranean ecosystems due to climate change—An integrated approach to sustainable management
Pinhas Alpert, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; and D. Silverman
The GLOWA Jordan River project focuses on one of the most critical regions with respect to sustainable water supply. The area has one of the lowest per capita water availabilities worldwide. The area is experiencing rising water demands, while available water is gradually decreasing. Climate scenarios for the Eastern Mediterranean, based on large-scale climate models, predict further aridification and increasing variability of regional precipitation. Surface water and groundwater resources have been reduced to record lows in the recent past, mostly due to increased usage and a prolonged drought period. GLOWA Jordan River is an inter- and multi- disciplinary study that addresses the vulnerability of water resources in the upper Jordan River catchment as a case study of eastern Mediterranean ecosystems in response to global change. It employs an integrated research approach, providing the scientific framework for sustainable management practices in the watershed of the Jordan River and other zones in the region. The main blocks of GLOWA Jordan River are
I. Global change - providing scenarios of how regional climate and land use can develop
II. Water resources - providing information on water availability and water quality under these scenarios
III. Ecosystems - assessing the responses of natural & semi-natural ecosystems with changing water resources and The main blocks of GLOWA Jordan River are
IV. Agriculture - assessing the interactions of agriculture and irrigation with water resources and regional atmospheric processes and providing management options
V. Integration and stakeholder participation - assessing the overall water situation of the region and providing decision support for integrated water resources management.
Extreme events, such as further severe drought spells will be a focus of the different simulations within these work packages.
Supplementary URL: http://luna.tau.ac.il/~glowa
Session 9, Impacts Related to Global Climate Change - What do we know, and how can we best hedge our bets?
Thursday, 13 February 2003, 1:30 PM-3:30 PM
Previous paper