The potential effects of anthropogenic climate change on evaporation from water storage reservoirs within the Lockyer Catchment, south-east Queensland, Australia
Ryan McGloin A C , Hamish McGowan A and David McJannet B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Climate Research Group, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.
B CSIRO Land and Water, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, Qld 4102, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: r.mcgloin@uq.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 67(10) 1512-1521 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF15193
Submitted: 1 December 2014 Accepted: 30 July 2015 Published: 4 October 2015
Abstract
In order to effectively manage water storage reservoirs, it is essential to be able to anticipate how components of the water balance will react to predicted long-term trends in climate. This study examines the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change on evaporation from small reservoirs in the Lockyer catchment, a productive agricultural region in south-east Queensland, Australia. Future projections of evaporation, made using the most likely future emissions scenario, suggested that evaporation is expected to increase by ~6% by the year 2050. In addition, rainfall is expected to decrease by ~8%. These projected increases in evaporation and reductions in rainfall, combined with the knowledge that changes in annual rainfall are known to be amplified in annual runoff, mean that the availability of water resources in the Lockyer catchment region may be greatly diminished in the future. In addition, increases in water scarcity, combined with higher future air temperatures and population growth, are likely to result in a greater demand for irrigation in the future.
Additional keywords: climate change, evaporation, reservoirs.
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