About this Research Topic
The goal of the Research Topic is to present frontiers and insights that solve interlinked climate, water and land challenges by providing valuable analytical perspectives that ensure water and food security, as well as ecosystem health An emphasis is placed on the innovation and applicability of water-, climate and land science and -technology in the African landscape. It addresses surface water research, regional climate modelling, and land use studies. We aim to advance the understanding of Africa’s regional climate-, water and land resources on regional scales. This includes the further development of methods to obtain higher spatial resolution for predictions and projections of meteorological, hydrological and ecosystem variables and their uncertainties. We explicitly aim at the presentation of field studies conducted in African catchments and environments.
In this Research Topic, we invite both experienced as well as young researchers to submit original research- and review articles on exploring climate-, water and land interactions and -changes in Africa.
The following topics and subtopics will be covered:
Observations of hydrological variability and change in Africa:
• Local and catchment scale measurements of surface water fluxes
• Changes in river flow due to anthropogenic interference in water resources
• Irrigation: Extent, development and consequences
• Water abstraction for mining and hydrological consequences: case studies
Regional studies on the hydrological cycle and water budget:
• Hydrological and climatological peculiarities in sub-Saharan Africa
• Quantifying hydrological processes: evapotranspiration, soil-moisture, runoff processes in Africa: in-situ observations, remote sensing and modelling
• Sensitivity of hydrological models to vegetation dynamics and meteorological data
Environmental change impacts on hydrological systems:
• Impacts of climate and land-use change on agricultural productivity in Africa
• Catchments and land-use/cover change effects on long term water budget and on extreme conditions
Sustainable water resources use:
• Particular successful case studies of sustainable water resources use
• Interfaces of modelling for water- food – energy - society nexus
• Risk quantification and reductions approaches
• Water quality – ecosystem health – human health at different scales
Predictability of hydrometeorological variability:
• Latest regional climate projections
• Sub-seasonal to seasonal predictions
Case studies hydrological extremes in Africa and analysis of methodologies:
• Analysis of recent severe drought and flood events
• Extreme floods and droughts and teleconnection with inter-annual variation of ocean-atmosphere system such as the El Nino/ ENSO phenomenon
• Modelling of rainfall-runoff processes under uncertain / scarce data conditions in Africa.
• Stochastic hydrological processes and modelling studies
• The potential of seasonal climate and hydrological conditions
• Potential of remote sensing, large scale data fusion and other novel techniques
Keywords: Africa, Hydrology, Water Sciences, Climate Change, Extreme Events, Water Sustainability, Integrated Modelling
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.