Impact of climate changes on water resources in Algeria

Abstract

This work outlines the methodology followed in the study of climate change impact on water resources in North Algeria and presents the results on the vulnerability of the water resources. It focuses on research efforts of old data and homogenization of long series of climate data since 1926 at stations in the watersheds of North Algeria. We were able to establish a database homogenized precipitation and temperatures. Recent trends show mixed but generally increasing, except in the south basin that reflects a sharpening of the drought. We then conducted a study of impact of climate change on the hydrological behavior of watersheds. Of all the simulation models used in the world, only two global models UKHI-EQ and ECHAM3TR give an acceptable results. Throughout this paper, it clear that uncertainty surrounds our understanding of future climate change and its impacts.