Reservoir Sedimentation Under Changing Climate

During the past decades, Earth’s river systems have shown significant changes, particularly concerning their flow characteristics with time and space, and fluvial sediment loads which are carried by them. These changes are most likely due to climate change. As climate change is uncertain and its effects are not uniform in both temporally and spatially, such variations lead to increasing concerns about the hydrological regimes of river basins. The rise in Earth’s near-surface air temperature and changes in precipitation patterns are prominent features of climate change. Although climate change is primarily considered as an increase in temperatures and global warming, its most important effects are those that will occur due to the change in precipitation regime. The hydrological system is directly and/or indirectly affected by the climatic conditions in the world. Changes in temperatures affect evapotranspiration rate, cloud characteristics, soil moisture, storm intensity, and snowfall and melting regimes. As a result, changes in precipitation cause changes in temporal, spatial and severity of flood and drought events. In addition, it causes changes in the surface flow regime, the amount of water seeping underground, plant pattern and growth rates. Reservoirs are essential in managing floods and droughts, but their effectiveness can be influenced by climate change. Sediment yield, which may increase due to climate change, can cause a rapid decrease in the reservoir’s storage capacity and shorten its design life. The accumulation of sediment at the reservoirs is a significant problem for many aspects of water management, like flood control, energy production, irrigation and drainage systems, domestic water supplies, river transportation systems, and recreational activities. Sediment accumulation can lead to shortening economic lifespan of the dam by resulting in severe consequences. In this study, the effect of climate change on reservoir sedimentation is investigated and it is depicted that the amount of sedimentation is considerably increasing by the effect of climate change.