Remote land use impacts on river flows through atmospheric teleconnections
L. Wang-Erlandsson (Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, TU Delft - Water Resources, Stockholm University)
Ingo Fetzer (Stockholm University)
Patrick W. Keys (Colorado State University, Stockholm University)
RJ van der Ent (Universiteit Utrecht, TU Delft - Water Resources)
Hubert H.G. Savenije (TU Delft - Water Resources)
Line J. Gordon (Stockholm University)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
The effects of land-use change on river flows have usually been explained by changes within a river basin. However, land-atmosphere feedback such as moisture recycling can link local land-use change to modifications of remote precipitation, with further knock-on effects on distant river flows. Here, we look at river flow changes caused by both land-use change and water use within the basin, as well as modifications of imported and exported atmospheric moisture. We show that in some of the world's largest basins, precipitation was influenced more strongly by land-use change occurring outside than inside the basin. Moreover, river flows in several non-transboundary basins were considerably regulated by land-use changes in foreign countries. We conclude that regional patterns of land-use change and moisture recycling are important to consider in explaining runoff change, integrating land and water management, and informing water governance.
help_outline