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93 results
Water Quality and Nutrient Loading
The briefing assesses water quality and nutrient loading in the lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB), identifying significant exceedances of total phosphorus and certain metals, particularly at the Pine Falls Forebay. It highlights that the Winnipeg River is a major nutrient contributor to Lake Winnipeg, with nutrient exports increasing downstream. The document also notes that climate projections suggest increased precipitation and runoff, which may further impact nutrient loading.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate and Climate Change
The document describes the humid continental climate of the lower Winnipeg River basin and details historical increases in river discharge. It presents climate projections for the 2050s, indicating rising temperatures, precipitation, and runoff, which may impact hydroelectric development and aquatic ecosystems.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Watershed implications of shale oil and gas production in Vaca Muerta, Argentina
The paper examines the water-energy nexus in Argentina's Vaca Muerta region, highlighting that while shale production uses a small percentage of total water, its wastewater management poses significant pollution risks. These risks are compounded by climate change projections of decreased precipitation and increasing competition for water from agriculture and urban growth. The authors argue for an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to replace the current fragmented provincial regulatory system.
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Document type: Research paper
Stronger Hurricanes
The document reports that while the total number of hurricanes is not increasing, the probability of storms reaching major hurricane status (Category 3-5) has risen significantly, particularly in the North Atlantic. It attributes this trend to rising sea surface temperatures and atmospheric warming, which also contribute to heavier rainfall, slower storm speeds, and deeper coastal flooding due to sea level rise.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Irrigation Model
The document details how climate indicators from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS)—including precipitation, temperature, and evaporation—are integrated into the SAVi Irrigation model. It provides a literature review on the impacts of temperature and precipitation on crop yields and water requirements, establishes the methodology for calculating net and total irrigation requirements, and presents simulation results for Johannesburg under the IPSL RCP8.5 scenario, projecting a 23% increase in net irrigation requirements by 2090-2100.
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Document type: Report
Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Roads Model
The document details how climate data from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) is integrated into the SAVi Roads model to improve the analysis of climate-related risks. It focuses on three primary impacts: precipitation effects on road lifetime, weather effects on injury accidents, and precipitation-based road runoff. Simulation results for a 1,000 km road network between 2020 and 2100 show that CDS integration reveals higher cumulative road disruption, an increase in injury accidents, and significantly higher stormwater runoff compared to a 'no climate' baseline. The economic analysis indicates that the most substantial cost increase stems from stormwater management, totaling an additional USD 2.06 billion over 80 years.
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Document type: Report
Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Wastewater Model
The document details how climate indicators—specifically precipitation, runoff, and temperature—from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) are integrated into the SAVi Wastewater model. It provides a literature review on how these variables affect wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) capacity and efficiency, such as the impact of heavy rainfall on sewage overflows and the effect of temperature on nutrient removal. The report includes simulation results for Johannesburg, demonstrating that climate-induced sewage overflows and urban runoff increase energy use, energy costs, and the social cost of carbon, while also causing environmental damage through nitrogen leaching.
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Document type: Report
Sustainable Asset Valuation of the Kalivaç and Poçem Hydropower Projects
The SAVi assessment finds that the Kalivaç and Poçem hydropower projects (HPPs) are uneconomic, producing higher costs and societal burdens than benefits. When integrating externalities, the HPPs' levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is more than 2.5 times higher than that of solar PV. The report highlights significant negative externalities, particularly the loss of agricultural land and tourism potential along the Vjosa River, and notes that the projects are not financially attractive at domestic electricity prices of EUR 55/MWh.
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Document type: Report
Escenarios de Cambio Climático: Método k-NN
The document outlines a methodology employed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to bridge the gap between global climate models and local water resource planning. Because General Circulation Models (GCMs) from the CMIP5 project lack the spatial resolution (40–120km) necessary for local hydrological assessment, SEI uses the k-NN statistical downscaling method. This process involves selecting high-performing GCMs based on eight climate attributes and using them to create synthetic daily series for temperature and precipitation from 2020 to 2100. These series are then integrated into the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system to explore robust adaptation alternatives for water service providers and environmental agencies.
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Document type: Briefing
Australian fires and climate change
The document details the extreme scale of the Australian fire season, noting that over 15 million acres burned. It attributes the increase in dangerous long-term conditions for bushfires to climate change, which has led to an earlier start of the fire season and record-breaking heat and dryness in 2019.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Assessment of the Current and Future Available Water Resources Under Different Climate Scenarios in the Lake Bunyonyi Catchment, Uganda
The report evaluates the hydrological impact of climate change on the Lake Bunyonyi catchment within the Ruhezamyenda catchment in southwestern Uganda. Using the COSERO hydrological model and CMIP5 global climate model ensembles under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, the study projects increases in temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration for the mid-term (20412070) and far future (20712100). While runoff trends show significant uncertainty, there is a general trend toward increasing runoff, particularly in the far future under RCP8.5. The report identifies 'no-regrets' adaptation options focusing on governance, land management, and data collection to address risks such as soil erosion, landslides, and wetland degradation.
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Document type: Report
GMET in Bolivia: building gridded climate datasets for water resource studies
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), in collaboration with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Bolivian partners, applied the Gridded Meteorological Ensemble Tool (GMET) to generate daily climate grids for Bolivia and parts of neighbouring countries from 1980 to 2016. Using a database of over 400 stations, the project demonstrated GMET's ability to incorporate prediction errors and uncertainty into spatial precipitation and temperature data, though it found that satellite-based data remained necessary to fill gaps in data-sparse regions. The project included a technology transfer to train local experts and the release of the tool as open-source software.
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Document type: Briefing
Super Typhoon Mangkhut heading for the Philippines
The World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium investigated the possibility of analyzing the effect of climate change on Super Typhoon Mangkhut's rainfall but determined an analysis was not feasible. The decision was based on three primary constraints: the availability of only one high-resolution model for the region, poor quality of public observational data in the affected area (with 50% missing data in most stations), and a lack of manpower and stable funding. The document notes that while greenhouse gases are expected to increase the precipitation of the strongest storms globally, region-specific projections have low confidence. Additionally, the WWA stated that while sea level rise affects storm surges, such impacts are not currently part of their attribution assessments.
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Document type: Statement
The role of climate change in the 2015-2017 drought in the Western Cape of South Africa
An international team of scientists used a multi-method attribution approach to determine that anthropogenic climate change increased the likelihood of the 2015-2017 Western Cape drought by a factor of 3.3. The drought, characterized by three consecutive years of below-average rainfall, led to a severe water crisis in Cape Town, nearly resulting in 'day zero'. The study finds that drought risk in this region scales linearly with warming, suggesting that further temperature increases will continue to raise the probability of such extreme events.
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Document type: Research paper
21st Century Climate Change Impacts on Olifants River Flows South Africa
The report concludes that Olifants River flows will likely decline substantially due to a combination of projected precipitation decreases and increased evaporation driven by rising temperatures. Using IPCC data and the South African Climate Change Reference Atlas, the author finds that warming is virtually certain, while annual precipitation is very likely to decrease by 5% to 25%. Drawing on analogs from the American Southwest, the analysis argues that even modest precipitation increases would be overwhelmed by temperature-induced evaporation. The document warns that these flow reductions will exacerbate existing water quality issues, such as pollutant concentrations and harmful algal blooms, and advises against the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the region.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean and Implications for Development
The document outlines projected climate impacts for Latin America and the Caribbean, including temperature increases of up to 4.5 °C, rising sea levels, and glacier loss. These changes are expected to disrupt water runoff, reduce agricultural and livestock yields, and threaten biodiversity, specifically coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest. The paper concludes that the region faces severe risks to human health, infrastructure, and livelihoods due to the potential for simultaneous and compounding impacts.
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Document type: Research paper
A delicate balance
South Africa is overexploiting its renewable water resources, with more than 60% of its rivers currently overexploited. Forecasts indicate that demand will increase across agricultural, industrial, and municipal sectors through 2035, driven by population growth, urbanisation, and industrial expansion. The report highlights critical vulnerabilities, including deteriorating wastewater treatment facilities—where nearly 25% are in a 'critical state'—and high levels of non-revenue water (approximately 36% of municipal consumption). To avoid a national crisis, the authors recommend implementing tiered water pricing, expanding the use of treated wastewater, and increasing sustainable groundwater extraction. The report also notes that transitioning from coal-based energy to renewables would reduce industrial water demand. While large-scale infrastructure projects are planned, the report argues they are insufficient without aggressive demand reduction and efficiency measures.
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Document type: Report
21st Century Climate Change Impacts on Mokolo and Crocodile (West) River Flows South Africa
The analysis concludes that river flows in the Mokolo and Crocodile (West) catchments are very likely to decline due to a combination of projected precipitation decreases and increased evaporation driven by rising temperatures. Using the American Southwest as a semi-arid analog, the author argues that temperature-induced flow declines will occur even if modest precipitation increases happen. The report warns that these systems are already over-allocated and that further warming, potentially reaching 5°C under high-emissions scenarios, will exacerbate water shortages and increase the frequency of 'flash droughts'.
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Document type: Research paper
Somalia drought 2016-2017
The analysis concludes that climate change had a small effect on the 2016 autumn drought in Somalia and Somaliland, with no significant trend in observed rainfall. However, a strong La Niña event significantly increased drought risks and explained approximately one third of the precipitation deficit. The severe food insecurity resulting from the drought was primarily driven by high human vulnerability caused by decades of conflict and political upheaval rather than meteorological factors alone.
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Document type: Research paper
Kenya Drought 2016
The 2016 drought in Kenya was primarily driven by sea-surface temperature patterns, specifically La Niña, rather than human-induced climate change. While climate change did not significantly increase the likelihood of the rainfall deficit, it did lead to hotter temperatures that exacerbated the drought's impact. The event was less severe than the 2010-11 drought but still triggered a national emergency, affecting millions of people in arid and semi-arid lands.
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Document type: Research paper