Climate Change Impact and Environment Adaptation in Zeravshan River Basin

Abstract

We investigated impact of climate change on the Zeravshan river basin and applicable adaptation measures for the future development in the region. This study is focused on two major goals; the first predicting future flow conditions and the second is measures to operate marginal waters in the downstream under future decreased flow condition. Land-surface model SiBUC future projections show a flow increase, accompanied by precipitation decrease in summer and increase in winter. Water availability in late summer will become the main issue as well as changes in seasonality of the runoff and higher temperatures. In the second topic marginal waters potential and quantity calculations has been researched to address water availability in Zeravshan River Basin under climate change impacts. Findings show how plants interact with water and soil environments under stressed conditions. Utilization of both marginal waters and lands under a climate change water scarcity scenario can be a potential way of addressing forage availability without requiring fresh waters from river and improving environment.