Climate change impacts on South American water balance from a continental-scale hydrological model driven by CMIP5 projections

João Paulo Lyra Fialho Brêda (), Rodrigo Cauduro Dias Paiva, Walter Collischon, Juan Martín Bravo, Vinicius Alencar Siqueira and Elisa Bolzan Steinke
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João Paulo Lyra Fialho Brêda: Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul
Rodrigo Cauduro Dias Paiva: Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul
Walter Collischon: Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul
Juan Martín Bravo: Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul
Vinicius Alencar Siqueira: Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul
Elisa Bolzan Steinke: Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul

Climatic Change, 2020, vol. 159, issue 4, No 2, 503-522

Abstract: Abstract South America contributes to roughly 30% of global runoff to the oceans. Because the regional economy and biodiversity depend significantly on its water resources, assessing potential climate change impacts on the continental water balance is crucial to support water management planning. Here we evaluate the mean alterations of water balance variables and river discharge in South America by the end of this century using two different GHG scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). An ensemble comprising 25 global climate models (GCM) from CMIP5 is used to force a continental-scale hydrologic-hydrodynamic model developed for that region. A negative signal with respect to changes in precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff is observed on most of the continent. Major decreases in the annual mean discharge are expected for the Orinoco, Tocantins, and Amazon basins, which would be around 8–14% at least (statistically significant – RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively). Only the Uruguay Basin presents a positive trend for the mean discharge.

Keywords: Water resources; South America; Impacts; Climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02667-9

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