Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in SemiArid Regions: Case Study of Aswan High Dam Reservoir

Abstract

This chapter presents an introduction to the global climate change (GCC) phenomenon. The historical and future impacts of climate change on different characteristics of international water resources were reviewed. The expected effects of climate change on Egyptian water resources, as examples of semiarid region water resources, were addressed. The southern part of Aswan High Dam Reservoir, Lake Nubia, was chosen to quantify the potential influence that GCC may have on its hydrodynamic and water quality characteristics. These impacts have been investigated using a proposed hydrodynamic and water quality model of Lake Nubia, for the twenty-first century – with two emission scenarios, including the average of 11 global climate models outputs. To estimate the future initial conditions of the proposed model, a theoretical process algorithm was simplified, developed, and calibrated. The investigated hydrodynamic characteristics were water surface levels, evaporation water losses, and reservoir thermal structure. While the studied water quality parameters of the reservoir were pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, ortho-phosphate, nitrate–nitrite, ammonium, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids. In addition, a sensitivity analysis for the future climate estimates was conducted. The results show that there will be significant impacts of the climate change on the examined hydrodynamic and water quality characteristics of Lake Nubia.