Tshimanga, R, Bola, G, Kabuya, P et al. (9 more authors) (2022) Towards a Framework of Catchment Classification for Hydrologic Predictions and Water Resources Management in the Ungauged Basin of the Congo River. In: Tshimanga, R.M., Moukandi N'kaya, G.D. and Alsdorf, D, (eds.) Congo Basin Hydrology, Climate, and Biogeochemistry: A Foundation for the Future. Geophysical Monograph Series . American Geophysical Union , pp. 469-498. ISBN 9781119656975
Abstract
The need for a catchment classification framework for the Congo Basin is obvious given the basin's inherent heterogeneities, the ungauged nature of the basin, and the pressing needs for water resources management that include the quantification of current and future supplies and demands, which also encompass the impacts of future changes associated with climate and land use, as well as water resources operational policies. The need is also prompted by many local-scale management concerns within the basin. This study uses an a priori approach to determine homogenous climatic-physiographic regions that are expected to underline dominant hydrological processes characteristics. A set of 1740 catchment units are partitioned across the whole basin, based on a set of comprehensive criteria, including natural break of the elevation gradient (199 units), inclusion of socio-economic and anthropogenic systems (204 units), and water management units based on traditional nomenclature of the rivers within the basin (1337 units). The identified catchment units are used to assess existing datasets of the basin physical properties, necessary to derive descriptors of the catchments characteristics. An unsupervised classification, based on Hierarchical Agglomerative Cluster algorithm is used, that yields 11 homogenous groups that are consistent with the current perceptual understanding of the Congo Basin physiographic and climatic settings. These regions represent therefore an a priori classification that will be further used to derive functional relationships of the catchments, necessary to enable hydrological prediction and water management in the basin.
Metadata
Item Type: | Book Section |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Editors: |
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Keywords: | Catchment classification, Complexity, Hydrologic prediction, Socio-hydrology, Ungauged basin, Water resources management |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Royal Society FCG\R1\201027 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 18 Dec 2020 10:34 |
Last Modified: | 30 Aug 2023 13:52 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Geophysical Union |
Series Name: | Geophysical Monograph Series |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/9781119657002.ch24 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:169065 |