Spatial and temporal variability of river flows in the degraded semi-arid tropical mountains of northern Ethiopia

[en] Water availability has for long been a critical issue in many developing countries. Despite its enormous potential of water resources, Ethiopia is suffering from a lack of water availability and threatened by the consequences of climate change. Well-considered planning to develop these resources is crucial. However, very few observational runoff data exist for this type of environments. Especially runoff data for catchments at the intermediate scale (100- 10,000 km2) are lacking. This study assesses the runoff from 10 medium-sized catchments in the Geba river basin, a subcatchment of the Nile in the semi-arid degraded northern Ethiopian highlands. Flow depth records were automatically obtained every 10 minutes during the rainy seasons (July-September) of 2004-2007 and converted to continuous runoff discharge records. Cumulative annual runoff depths (46-395 mm) are mainly correlated with rainfall depth. Estimated runoff coefficients (9-47%) and are negatively correlated with the areal fraction of limestone outcrops in the catchments, indicating runoff transmission losses. Throughout the rainy season, increases in runoff depth and runoff coefficient were observed, which is partly attributed to an increase in baseflow throughout the season. The majority of the runoff occurs during flash floods, i. e. relatively short runoff events with often very high peak discharges. Characteristics of these floods are discussed with some examples, including an exceptionally large flood. Taking into account the difficult conditions for river discharge measurements, this study provides one of the most comprehensive analyses so far of the magnitude and dynamics of river discharges in Ethiopia. © 2012 Gebr. Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany.

Disciplines :

Earth sciences & physical geography

Author, co-author :

Zenebe, A.; Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, PO Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Vanmaercke, Matthias ; Université de Liège > Département de géographie > Géographie physique et du quaternaire

Poesen, J.

Verstraeten, G.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U. Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium, Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders, Belgium

Haregeweyn, N.; Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, PO Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Haile, M.; Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, PO Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Amare, K.; Department of Applied Geology, Mekelle University, PO Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Deckers, J.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U. Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium, Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders, Belgium

Nyssen, J.; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281(S8), B-9000 Gent, Belgium

Title :

Spatial and temporal variability of river flows in the degraded semi-arid tropical mountains of northern Ethiopia

Publication date :

2013

Journal title :

Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie

ISSN :

0372-8854

Publisher :

E. Schweizerbart Science Publishers, Stuttgart, Germany

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

143-169

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 28 March 2017

Statistics

Number of views

39 (3 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

1 (0 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenCitations

OpenAlex citations

Bibliography

Allen, M. R. & Ingram, W. J. (2002): Constraints on future changes in climate and the hydrologic cycle. - Nature 419: 224-232. doi:10.1038/ nature01092 (Pubitemid 35033481)
Asfaw, M. G. (2005): Groundwater recharge and Water Balance assessment in Geba Basin, Tigray, Ethiopia. - Unpub. MSc. Thesis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and K. U. Leuven.
Bauduin, D. & Dubreuil, P. (1973): L'inventaire des ressources en eau pour l'aménagement intégré du Bassin du Wabi Shebelle d'Ethiopie. - Cahiers ORSTOM, Série Hydrologie 10: 307-348.
Baker, V. R., Kochel, R. C. & Patton, P. C. (2004): Flood Geomorphology. - Wiley-Interscience, England, pp. 528.
Brodie, R. S. & Hostetler, S. (2005): A review of techniques for analysing base-flow from stream hydrographs. - Proceedings of the NZHS-IAH-NZSSS 2005 Conference (28 November-2 December 2005, Auckland, New Zealand), 13 pp. Available online: http://www.connectedwater.gov.au/documents/IAH05-Baseflow.pdf (accessed: Febr. 5, 2011).
CSA (2008): Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Population size by age and sex, Central Statistical Authority (CSA), Addis Ababa.
Descheemaeker, K., Nyssen, J., Poesen, J., Mitiku Haile, Muys, B., Raes, D., Moeyersons, J. & Deckers, J. (2006a): Soil and water conservation through forest restoration in exclosures of the Tigray highlands. - Journal of the Drylands 1: 118-133.
Descheemaeker, K., Nyssen, J., Rossi, J., Poesen, J., Mitiku Haile, Moeyersons, J. & Deckers, J. (2006b): Sediment deposition and pedogenesis in exclosures in the Tigray Highlands. - Geoderma 132: 291-314. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2005.04.027
Dewit, M. & Stankiewicz, J. (2006): Changes in Surface Water Supply Accross Africa with Predicted Climate Change. - Science 311: 1917-1921. doi:10.1126/science.1119929
EEWS (2007): Alert: Flood Vulnerability and Risk in Ethiopia in 2007, Ethiopian Early Warning System (EEWS) Special Report 02 July, 2007, Addis Ababa. (http://www.ocha eth.org/Reports/downloadable/FloodVulnerabilityandRisks.pdf)
Girmay, G., Singh, B. R., Nyssen, J. & Borrosen, T. (2009): Runoff and sediment - associated nutrient losses under different land uses in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. - Journal of Hydrology 376: 70-80. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol. 2009.07.066
Graf, W. H. (1998): Fluvial hydraulics, Flow and Transport Processes in channels of Simple Geometry. - Wiley, Chichester, England, 692 pp.
Gratiot, N., Duvert, C., Collet, L., Vinson, D., Némery, J. & Sáenz-Romero, C. (2010): Increase in surface runoff in the central mountains of Mexico: lessons from the past and predictive scenario for the next century. - Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 14: 291-300.
Hagos, H. (2006): Temporal Variability of Sediment Discharge in Relation to Rainfall Distribution and Seasonal Land Cover Variability throughout the Rainy Season in Agula Catchment - Tigray, Ethiopia. - Unpubl. M.Sc. thesis, Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University.
Haregeweyn, N., Poesen, J., Nyssen, J., Verstraeten, G., De Vente, J., Govers, G., Deckers, J. & Moeyersons, J. (2005): Specific sediment yield in Tigray-Northern Ethiopia: Assessment and semi-quantitative modelling. - Geomorphology 69: 315-331. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.02.001 (Pubitemid 40919604)
Haregeweyn, N., Poesen, J., Nyssen, J., Dewit, J., Mitiku Haile, Govers, G. & Deckers, J. (2006): Reservoir sedimentation in Tigray (Northern Ethiopia): Characteristics and sediment deposition problems. - Land Degradation and Development 17: 211-230. doi:10.1002/ldr.698
Kebede, S., Travi, Y., Alemayehu, T. & Marc, V. (2006): Water balance of Lake Tana and its sensitivity to fluctuations in rainfall, Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia. - Journal of Hydrology 316: 233-247. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2005.05.011 (Pubitemid 41760411)
Kendall, M. (1938): A New Measure of Rank Correlation. - Biometrika 30: 81-89.
Kibrewossen Tesfagiorgis, Tesfamichael Gebreyohannes, De Smedt, F., Moeyersons, J., Miruts Hagos, Nyssen, J. & Deckers, J. (2011): Evaluation of groundwater re - sources in the Geba basin, Ethiopia. - Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 70: 461-466.
Munro, N. R., Deckers, J., Mitiku Haile, Grove, A.T., Poesen, J. & Nyssen, J. (2008): Soil landscapes, land cover change and erosion features of the Central Plateau region of Tigrai, Ethiopia: Photo monitoring with an interval of 30 years. - Catena 75: 55-64. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2008.04.009
Nyssen, J., Poesen, J., Moeyersons, J., Deckers, J., Mitiku Haile & Lang, A. (2004): Human impact on the environment in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands - a state of the art. - Earth-Science Reviews 64: 273-320. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(03)00078-3 (Pubitemid 38144007)
Nyssen, J., Vandenreyken, H., Poesen, J., Moeyersons, J., Deckers, J., Mitiku Haile, Salles, C. & Govers, G. (2005): Rainfall erosivity and variability in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands. - Journal of Hydrology 311(1-4): 172-187. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol. 2004.12.016 (Pubitemid 41261606)
Nyssen, J., Clymans, W., Descheemaeker, K., Poesen, J., Vandecasteele, I., Vanmaercke, M., Mitiku Haile, Nigussie Haregeweyn, Moeyersons, J., Martens, K., Amanuel Zenebe, Van Camp, M., Tesfamichael Gebreyohannes, Deckers, J. & Walraevens, K. (2010): Impact of soil and water conservation on catchment hydrological response - a case in northern Ethiopia. - Hydrological processes 24: 1880-1895. doi: 10.1002/hyp.7628
Rao, A. R., Tao, P. C. & Rukvichai, C. (1980): Characterization and models of watershed storage. - Journal of Hydrology 45: 253-277.
Solomon, S. (1998): Hydropower in Ethiopia: Status, Potential and Prospects. - EACE (Ethiopian Association of Civil Engineers), Addis Ababa 1(1), pp. 1-12.
Stokstad, E. (1999): Scarcity of Rain, Stream Gages Threatens Forecasts. - Science 285: 1199-1200. (Pubitemid 29398586)
Syvitski, J.P. M. & Milliman, J. D. (2007): Geology, Geography, and Humans Battle for Dominance over the Delivery of Fluvial Sediment to the Coastal Ocean. - The Journal of Geology 15: 1-19. (Pubitemid 46139280)
Tewodros Gebregziabher, Nyssen, J., Govaerts, B., Getnet, F., Behailu, M., Mitiku Haile & Deckers, J. (2009): Contour furrows for in situ soil and water conservation, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. - Soil & Tillage Research 103: 257-264. doi:10.1016/j.still.2008.05.021
TBOANRD (2008): Soil and Water Conservation Report. - Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources Development Mekelle, Tigray.
Tooth, S. (2000): Process, form and change in dryland rivers: a review of recent research. - Earth-Science Reviews 51: 67-107. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(00) 00014-3
Van Dewauw, J., Baert, G., Moeyersons, J., Nyssen, J., De Geyndt, K., Nurhussein Taha, Amanuel Zenebe, Poesen, J. & Deckers, J. (2008): Soil-landscape relationships in the basalt dominated highlands of Tigray, Ethiopia. - Catena 75: 117-127. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2008.04.006
Van Essen Instruments (2006): Van Essen Instruments Expands Its Range of Diver Data Loggers for Ground Water Monitoring. - Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation 26: 193-198.
Vanmaercke, M., Amanuel Zenebe, Poesen, J., Nyssen, J., Verstraeten, G. & Deckers, J. (2010): Sediment dynamics and the role of flash floods in sediment export from mediumsized catchments: a case study from the semi-arid tropical highlands in northern Ethiopia. - Journal of Soils and Sediments 10: 611-627. doi:10.1007/s11368-010-0203-9
Virgo, K. J. & Munro, R. N. (1978): Soil and erosion features of the central plateau of Tigray, Ethiopia. - Geoderma 20: 131-157. doi:10.1016/0016-7061(78)90040-X
Walling, D. E. (1996): Hydrology and rivers. - In: Adams, W. E., Goudie, A. S. & Orme, A. R. (eds.): The physical geography of Africa. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 103-121.
Woube, M. (1999): Flooding and sustainable land-water management in the lower Baro-Akobo river basin, Ethiopia. - Applied Geography 19: 235-251. doi:10.1016/S0143-6228(99)00004-1 (Pubitemid 29388857)
Zenebe, A. (2009): Assessment of spatial and temporal variability of river discharge, sediment yield and sediment-fixed nutrient export in Geba River catchment, northern Ethiopia. - Dissertation, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven.