@article{AichLierschVetteretal.2014, author = {Aich, Valentin and Liersch, Stefan and Vetter, T. and Huang, S. and Tecklenburg, J. and Hoffmann, P. and Koch, H. and Fournet, S. and Krysanova, Valentina and Mueller, N. and Hattermann, Fred Fokko}, title = {Comparing impacts of climate change on streamflow in four large African river basins}, series = {Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS}, volume = {18}, journal = {Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS}, number = {4}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {1027-5606}, doi = {10.5194/hess-18-1305-2014}, pages = {1305 -- 1321}, year = {2014}, abstract = {This study aims to compare impacts of climate change on streamflow in four large representative African river basins: the Niger, the Upper Blue Nile, the Oubangui and the Limpopo. We set up the eco-hydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model) for all four basins individually. The validation of the models for four basins shows results from adequate to very good, depending on the quality and availability of input and calibration data. For the climate impact assessment, we drive the model with outputs of five bias corrected Earth system models of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) for the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5. This climate input is put into the context of climate trends of the whole African continent and compared to a CMIP5 ensemble of 19 models in order to test their representativeness. Subsequently, we compare the trends in mean discharges, seasonality and hydrological extremes in the 21st century. The uncertainty of results for all basins is high. Still, climate change impact is clearly visible for mean discharges but also for extremes in high and low flows. The uncertainty of the projections is the lowest in the Upper Blue Nile, where an increase in streamflow is most likely. In the Niger and the Limpopo basins, the magnitude of trends in both directions is high and has a wide range of uncertainty. In the Oubangui, impacts are the least significant. Our results confirm partly the findings of previous continental impact analyses for Africa. However, contradictory to these studies we find a tendency for increased streamflows in three of the four basins (not for the Oubangui). Guided by these results, we argue for attention to the possible risks of increasing high flows in the face of the dominant water scarcity in Africa. In conclusion, the study shows that impact intercomparisons have added value to the adaptation discussion and may be used for setting up adaptation plans in the context of a holistic approach.}, language = {en} } @article{WeberHelwigBaueretal.2012, author = {Weber, Michael H. and Helwig, S. L. and Bauer, Klaus and Haberland, Christian and Koch, Olaf and Ryberg, T. and Maercklin, N. and Ritter, O. and Schulze, A.}, title = {Near-surface properties of an active fault derived by joint interpretation of different geophysical methods - the Arava/Araba Fault in the Middle East}, series = {Near surface geophysics}, volume = {10}, journal = {Near surface geophysics}, number = {5}, publisher = {European Association of Geoscientists \& Engineers}, address = {Houten}, issn = {1569-4445}, doi = {10.3997/1873-0604.2012031}, pages = {381 -- 390}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The motion of tectonic plates is accommodated at fault zones. One of the unanswered questions about fault zones relates to the role they play in controlling shallow and local hydrology. This study focuses on the Arava/Araba Fault (AF) zone, the southern portion of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) in the Middle East. We combine seismic and electromagnetic methods (EM) to image the geometry and map the petro-physical properties and water occurrence in the top 100 m of this active fault. For three profiles, P-velocity and resistivity images were derived independently. Using a neural network cluster analysis three classes with similar P-velocity and resistivities could then be determined from these images. These classes correspond to spatial domains of specific material and wetness. The first class occurs primarily east of the fault consisting of 'wet' sand (dunes) and brecciated sediments, whereas the second class composed of similar material located west of the fault is 'dry'. The third class lies at depth below ca. 50 m and is composed of highly deformed and weathered Precambrian rocks that constitute the multi-branch fault zone of the AF at this location. The combination of two independent measurements like seismics and EM linked by a stringent mathematical approach has thus shown the potential to delineate the interplay of lithology and water near active faults.}, language = {en} } @article{WeberAbuAyyashAbueladasetal.2009, author = {Weber, Michael H. and Abu-Ayyash, Khalil and Abueladas, Abdel-Rahman and Agnon, Amotz and Alasonati-Taš{\´a}rov{\´a}, Zuzana and Al-Zubi, Hashim and Babeyko, Andrey and Bartov, Yuval and Bauer, Klaus and Becken, Michael and Bedrosian, Paul A. and Ben-Avraham, Zvi and Bock, G{\"u}nter and Bohnhoff, Marco and Bribach, Jens and Dulski, Peter and Ebbing, Joerg and El-Kelani, Radwan J. and Foerster, Andrea and F{\"o}rster, Hans-J{\"u}rgen and Frieslander, Uri and Garfunkel, Zvi and G{\"o}tze, Hans-J{\"u}rgen and Haak, Volker and Haberland, Christian and Hassouneh, Mohammed and Helwig, Stefan L. and Hofstetter, Alfons and Hoffmann-Rothe, Arne and Jaeckel, Karl-Heinz and Janssen, Christoph and Jaser, Darweesh and Kesten, Dagmar and Khatib, Mohammed Ghiath and Kind, Rainer and Koch, Olaf and Koulakov, Ivan and Laske, Maria Gabi and Maercklin, Nils}, title = {Anatomy of the Dead Sea transform from lithospheric to microscopic scale}, issn = {8755-1209}, doi = {10.1029/2008rg000264}, year = {2009}, abstract = {Fault zones are the locations where motion of tectonic plates, often associated with earthquakes, is accommodated. Despite a rapid increase in the understanding of faults in the last decades, our knowledge of their geometry, petrophysical properties, and controlling processes remains incomplete. The central questions addressed here in our study of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) in the Middle East are as follows: (1) What are the structure and kinematics of a large fault zone? (2) What controls its structure and kinematics? (3) How does the DST compare to other plate boundary fault zones? The DST has accommodated a total of 105 km of left-lateral transform motion between the African and Arabian plates since early Miocene (similar to 20 Ma). The DST segment between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, called the Arava/Araba Fault (AF), is studied here using a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach from the mu m to the plate tectonic scale. We observe that under the DST a narrow, subvertical zone cuts through crust and lithosphere. First, from west to east the crustal thickness increases smoothly from 26 to 39 km, and a subhorizontal lower crustal reflector is detected east of the AF. Second, several faults exist in the upper crust in a 40 km wide zone centered on the AF, but none have kilometer-size zones of decreased seismic velocities or zones of high electrical conductivities in the upper crust expected for large damage zones. Third, the AF is the main branch of the DST system, even though it has accommodated only a part (up to 60 km) of the overall 105 km of sinistral plate motion. Fourth, the AF acts as a barrier to fluids to a depth of 4 km, and the lithology changes abruptly across it. Fifth, in the top few hundred meters of the AF a locally transpressional regime is observed in a 100-300 m wide zone of deformed and displaced material, bordered by subparallel faults forming a positive flower structure. Other segments of the AF have a transtensional character with small pull-aparts along them. The damage zones of the individual faults are only 5-20 m wide at this depth range. Sixth, two areas on the AF show mesoscale to microscale faulting and veining in limestone sequences with faulting depths between 2 and 5 km. Seventh, fluids in the AF are carried downward into the fault zone. Only a minor fraction of fluids is derived from ascending hydrothermal fluids. However, we found that on the kilometer scale the AF does not act as an important fluid conduit. Most of these findings are corroborated using thermomechanical modeling where shear deformation in the upper crust is localized in one or two major faults; at larger depth, shear deformation occurs in a 20-40 km wide zone with a mechanically weak decoupling zone extending subvertically through the entire lithosphere.}, language = {en} }