Historical and human dimensions of climate variability and water resource constraint in the Senegal River Valley

This paper provides a case study from the northern Senegal wetlands documenting trends in inter-annual and seasonal climate variability during the past century as well as human vulnerability and adaptation to anomalous climate events. A secular decline in precipitation during the past 3 decades has...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Climate research 2001-12, Vol.19 (2), p.133-147
Main Authors: Magistro, John, Lo, Medou
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate change
Climate change adaptation
Climatic zones
Drought
Flood irrigation
Floods
Rain
River basins
Sahel
Valleys
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Summary:This paper provides a case study from the northern Senegal wetlands documenting trends in inter-annual and seasonal climate variability during the past century as well as human vulnerability and adaptation to anomalous climate events. A secular decline in precipitation during the past 3 decades has resulted in the construction of 2 dams on the Senegal River in the 1980s and an interstate river basin development strategy to develop hydroelectricity, irrigation farming, and a navigable waterway. Current agro-ecological production systems dependent on a seasonal riparian flood cycle could be curtailed in trying to meet these development objectives. Two hydrological time flow series illustrating the importance of inter-annual and seasonal climate variability for the region are used to weigh the costs and benefits of competing water use scenarios for end users.
ISSN:0936-577X
1616-1572
DOI:10.3354/cr019133