Thursday, 13 February 2003: 3:00 PM
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
Poster PDF
(2.2 MB)
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