How downstream sub-basins depend on upstream inflows to avoid scarcity : typology and global analysis of transboundary rivers

dc.contributorAalto-yliopistofi
dc.contributorAalto Universityen
dc.contributor.authorMunia, Hafsa Ahmeden_US
dc.contributor.authorGuillaume, Joseph H. A.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMirumachi, Nahoen_US
dc.contributor.authorWada, Yoshihideen_US
dc.contributor.authorKummu, Mattien_US
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Built Environmenten
dc.contributor.groupauthorWater and Environmental Eng.en
dc.contributor.organizationKing's College Londonen_US
dc.contributor.organizationInternational Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2018-06-18T09:20:26Z
dc.date.available2018-06-18T09:20:26Z
dc.date.issued2018-05-08en_US
dc.description.abstractCountries sharing river basins are often dependent upon water originating outside their boundaries; meaning that without that upstream water, water scarcity may occur with flow-on implications for water use and management. We develop a formalisation of this concept drawing on ideas about the transition between regimes from resilience literature, using water stress and water shortage as indicators of water scarcity. In our analytical framework, dependency occurs if water from upstream is needed to avoid scarcity. This can be diagnosed by comparing different types of water availability on which a sub-basin relies, in particular local runoff and upstream inflows. At the same time, possible upstream water withdrawals reduce available water downstream, influencing the latter water availability. By developing a framework of scarcity and dependency, we contribute to the understanding of transitions between system regimes. We apply our analytical framework to global transboundary river basins at the scale of sub-basin areas (SBAs). Our results show that 1175 million people live under water stress (42% of the total transboundary population). Surprisingly, the majority (1150 million) of these currently suffer from stress only due to their own excessive water use and possible water from upstream does not have impact on the stress status - i.e. they are not yet dependent on upstream water to avoid stress - but could still impact on the intensity of the stress. At the same time, 386 million people (14 %) live in SBAs that can avoid stress owing to available water from upstream and have thus upstream dependency. In the case of water shortage, 306 million people (11 %) live in SBAs dependent on upstream water to avoid possible shortage. The identification of transitions between system regimes sheds light on how SBAs may be affected in the future, potentially contributing to further refined analysis of inter-and intrabasin hydro-political power relations and strategic planning of management practices in transboundary basins.en
dc.description.versionPeer revieweden
dc.format.extent15
dc.format.extent2795-2809
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationMunia, H A, Guillaume, J H A, Mirumachi, N, Wada, Y & Kummu, M 2018, ' How downstream sub-basins depend on upstream inflows to avoid scarcity : typology and global analysis of transboundary rivers ', Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 2795-2809 . https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2795-2018en
dc.identifier.doi10.5194/hess-22-2795-2018en_US
dc.identifier.issn1027-5606
dc.identifier.issn1607-7938
dc.identifier.otherPURE UUID: 966d75b5-152f-4c6e-b850-98bf125bdf20en_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE ITEMURL: https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/966d75b5-152f-4c6e-b850-98bf125bdf20en_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE LINK: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046717585&partnerID=8YFLogxKen_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE FILEURL: https://research.aalto.fi/files/21336164/hess_22_2795_2018.pdfen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/31930
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:fi:aalto-201806183348
dc.language.isoenen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesHYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCESen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 22, issue 5en
dc.rightsopenAccessen
dc.subject.keywordWATER SCARCITYen_US
dc.subject.keywordCLIMATE-CHANGEen_US
dc.subject.keywordFOOD-PRODUCTIONen_US
dc.subject.keywordVARIABILITYen_US
dc.subject.keywordCONFLICTen_US
dc.subject.keywordREQUIREMENTSen_US
dc.subject.keywordFUTUREen_US
dc.subject.keywordAVAILABILITYen_US
dc.subject.keywordASSESSMENTSen_US
dc.subject.keywordCOOPERATIONen_US
dc.titleHow downstream sub-basins depend on upstream inflows to avoid scarcity : typology and global analysis of transboundary riversen
dc.typeA1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessäfi
dc.type.versionpublishedVersion
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