US-Ethiopia Planning Visit: Vegetation-Hydrology Linkages in the Upper Blue Nile Basin

美国-埃塞俄比亚计划访问：青尼罗河上游盆地植被与水文的联系

• 批准号: 0527279
• 负责人: Assefa Melesse
• 金额: $ 0.99万
• 依托单位: Florida International University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-15 至 2006-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0527279&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: US; Ethiopia; Planning; Visit; Vegetation

Melesse 0527279 This planning visit award will support two U.S. researchers, Dr. Assefa Melesse from Florida International University (FIU) and Dr. Gabriel Senay from the National Center for Earth Resources Observation Science (EROS), to travel to Ethiopia to strengthen their collaboration in ecohydrology with Dr. Woldeamlak Bewket from Addis Ababa University (AAU). Recent studies indicate that decreases in the Blue Nile River's discharge have been primarily attributable to siltation, poor headwater protection, expansion of croplands, overgrazing, and increased area under Eucalyptus plantations. This planning visit will enable the PIs to develop a research project that measures the impact of vegetation (e.g., different crops, Eucalyptus trees, native plants) on the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture, identifies the temporal variability of the hydrologic response to vegetation, and integrates this information with other parameters to simulate soil water balance and river discharge as a function of vegetation cover in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin. During the visit, the PIs and their collaborators will design research protocols, identify the most appropriate research sites, assess research facilities, and identify related ongoing efforts in the region. The PIs also plan to meet with other scientists from Addis Ababa University, as well as from the Amhara Region Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI) Research Office and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) office.The Blue Nile Basin in Ethiopia is characterized by poverty, rapid population growth, environmental degradation and frequent natural disasters. While the population in the basin is projected to increase significantly over the next 25 years, the water resources are projected to decline. Decreases in the river's discharge are also a transboundary political issue, because they influence the flow of the Nile River downstream in Sudan and Egypt. The visit will also extend and enhance U.S. partnerships in the region with AAU, NBI, NGOs and others working on complimentary projects in the basin.

Melesse 0527279此次规划访问奖将支持佛罗里达国际大学的Assefa Melesse博士和国家地球资源观测科学中心的Gabriel Senay博士前往埃塞俄比亚，以加强他们与亚的斯亚贝巴大学的Woldeamlak Bewket博士在生态水文学方面的合作。最近的研究表明，青尼罗河流量的减少主要是由于淤积、水源保护不力、农田扩张、过度放牧以及桉树种植园面积的增加。这次规划访问将使私人投资机构能够开发一个研究项目，衡量植被(如不同的作物、桉树、本地植物)对土壤水分时空动态的影响，确定对植被的水文响应的时间变异性，并将这些信息与其他参数相结合，以模拟青尼罗河流域上游植被覆盖的土壤水分平衡和河流流量。在访问期间，私人投资机构及其合作者将设计研究方案，确定最合适的研究地点，评估研究设施，并确定该地区正在进行的相关工作。PI还计划会见亚的斯亚贝巴大学的其他科学家，以及阿姆哈拉地区农业研究所(ARARI)研究室和尼罗河流域倡议(NBI)办公室的科学家。埃塞俄比亚的青尼罗河流域的特点是贫困、人口快速增长、环境退化和频繁的自然灾害。尽管该盆地的人口预计将在未来25年大幅增加，但水资源预计将减少。河流流量的减少也是一个跨国界的政治问题，因为它们影响了尼罗河在苏丹和埃及下游的流动。此次访问还将扩大和加强美国在该地区与AAU、NBI、非政府组织和其他致力于该盆地免费项目的伙伴关系。