Water Wheel May/June 2023: Hydrology And Climate Change

Abstract

Researchers focus on hydrological models to understand potential climate risks and vulnerability Over the last decade, the severe impacts of droughts have highlighted the vulnerability of water sources in South Africa. Globally, Mediterranean regions such as the Western Cape are considered to be some of the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change, especially in terms of experiencing longer and more severe droughts. “In future, climate change will have a huge impact on our water resources and how we manage those available resources,” says Dr Andrew Watson from Stellenbosch University’s School for Climate Studies. He specialises in hydrological and groundwater modelling. Watson and others have been exploring how to improve the hydrological modelling of human impacts on the landscape and climate change impacts in at-risk catchments. In recent years, there has been significant investment in generating more precise climate projections to provide hydrological model users with future climate scenarios that can be used at local scales.

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