Climate change impacts on the streamflow and simulated sediment flux to Gilgel Gibe 1 hydropower reservoir – Ethiopia

Abstract

This study examines the impact of climate change on streamflow and simulated sediment flux to the Gilgel Gibe 1 hydropower reservoir. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to assess the future changes in streamflow and sediment flux due to change in future precipitation and temperature. For the future period of 2041 – 2070 here after represented as 2050s the average temperature and precipitation data, simulated by the General Circulation Models ECHAM5 and HadCM3 under emission scenarios A2 and B1 were used. The predicted results show a decrease in streamflow and a drastic increase in sediment flux. This will aggravate the sedimentation problem of Gilgel Gibe 1 reservoir and reduce its storage capacity