Magister Artium - MA / This thesis investigates the influence of climate change and climatic variability on wetland ecosystems (coastal and inland wetlands) on the Agulhas coastal plain. Firstly, this research examines coastal wetland ecosystem resilience to sea level rise by modelling sea level rise trajectories for the Droё River wetland. The rate of sediment accretion was modelled relative to IPCC sea level rise estimates for multiple RCP scenarios. For each scenario, inundation by neap and spring tide and the 2-, 4- and 8-year recurrence interval water level was modelled over a period of 200 years. When tidal variation is considered, the rate of sediment accretion exceeds rising sea levels associated with climate change, resulting in no major changes in terms of inundation. When sea level rise scenarios were modelled in conjunction with the recurrence interval water levels, flooding of the coastal wetland was much greater than current levels for the 1 in 4 and 1 in 8 year events. The study suggests that for this wetland, variability of flows may be a key factor contributing to wetland resilience. Secondly, the thesis examines the variability of open wetland water surface areas and their relation to rainfall to determine wetland hydrological inputs for the Nuwejaars wetland system and respective wetlands. A remote sensing approach was adopted, Landsat 5 TM and 8 OLI multispectral imagery were used to detect changes of water surfaces for the period 1989 to 2017. Water surfaces were enhanced and extracted using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index of Xu (2006). The coefficient of variation of wetland water surface area was determined. The variability ranges from low to high for respective wetlands. A correlation analysis of wetland water surfaces and local and catchment rainfall for the preceding 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months was undertaken. The preceding month and associated inputs explains the annual variability of surface waters. The study suggests that, the variability of wetland water surface area are related to variations to water inputs and groundwater, as well as variations in water outputs such as evapotranspiration and an outlet channel.

Magister Artium - MA / Changes in climate patterns have raised concerns for environmentalists globally and across southern Africa. The changes greatly affect the growth dynamics of vegetation to such an extent that climate elements such as rainfall have become the most important determinant of vegetation growth. In arid and semi-arid environments, vegetation relies on near-surface groundwater as the main source of water. Changes in the environment due to climate can be examined by using remotely sensed data. This approach offers an affordable and easy means of monitoring the impact of climate variability on vegetation growth. This study examined the response of vegetation to rainfall and temperature, and assessed the dependence thereof on groundwater in a climatically variable region of the semi-arid Karoo. The methodology used included sampling plant species in the riparian and non-riparian areas over two plant communities in seven vegetation plots. The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from the Landsat OLI and TM was used to measure vegetation productivity. This was compared with rainfall totals derived from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) and the mean monthly temperature totals. A drought index, (Standardised Precipitation Index – SPI) was an additional analysis to investigate rainfall variability. Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA) and Maximum Likelihood supervised classification approaches together with indicators of groundwater discharge areas (Topographic Wetness Index – TWI, and profile curvature) were used to map vegetation and surface water that depend on groundwater.

Magister Artium - MA / Wetlands provide various ecosystem services such as provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services which may be directly or indirectly beneficial to humans. The manner in which such wetlands are managed is partly determined by human perceptions of their value. However, climatic variability and climate change put the continued provision of such ecosystems under stress. The result is that certain ecosystem services may be provided to differing extents during anomalously wet or dry years. There is thus uncertainty as to the values ascribed to wetlands by people during varying climatic phases. This thesis focuses on understanding how people perceive the functioning of wetlands within our current climate against a background of climatic variability and climate change. This study explores people’s perceptions regarding the functioning of wetlands and ecosystem services provided during dry and wet years, as an indication of how climatic variability and climate change impact peoples’ perceptions. The data was collected in the wetlands of the Agulhas Plain in the Nuwejaars Catchment. Five wetlands classified and scored using the WETEcoServices tool. In addition, five semi-structured interviews and three participatory mapping exercises with landowners were also undertaken. The study reports on the landowners’ awareness of wetland ecosystems, ecosystem services and climatic variability and climate change. Provisioning, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services are frequently used by landowners, which can be impacted by climatic variability and climate change. The WETEcoService benefits and landowners perceptions of ecosystem services varies, as the WETEcoService direct and indirect ecosystem services are either effective or ineffective in dry and wet years. In contrast to landowners perceptions emphasising the importance of ecosystem services directly beneficial to them. The study recommends that the ecosystem services landowners perceive as important is linked to their interest to guarantee their participation in catchment management. WET-EcoService benefits can inform landowners and managers about ecosystem services degradation and whether their conservation methods are either positively or negatively impacting wetlands.

This research seeks to advance our understanding of how to make better informed species conservation decisions on a global scale and advance our understanding of how species' spatial distributions (their geographic ranges) may be respond to climate change, so we can know which areas should be set aside to ensure their present and future conservation. To understand how species' geographic ranges may change, it's important to first assess how geographic ranges are defined and measured. The quantifiable measurement of a species' geographic range, (its geographic range size), is a key criterion the International Union for the Conservation of Nature uses to determine the conservation status and prioritization of species worldwide. Thus, part one of this thesis evaluates different measures for how geographic range size is commonly quantified in the conservation community, to determine whether some range size measures are more reliable than others.Further, to evaluate how species' geographic ranges may respond to climate change, I examine the climatic factors influencing observable longitudinal range size gradients in the North American tree species range maps from E.L. Little's Atlas of North American Trees.

Le modèle de culture STICS a été adapté pour la culture du riz inondé et la capacité de prédiction du modèle a été évaluée pour la simulation de la biomasse à la récolte et du rendement en grains. La base de données utilisée pour ce travail résulte de la collecte de données au champ sur des parcelles en Camargue (sud-Est de la France) gérées par les agriculteurs. Pour la modélisation, ne disposant que très peu de données d’expérimentation, une procédure originale d’utilisation des données obtenues à la ferme a été développée. Ce travail est composé de trois phases: (i) une analyse de la base de données initiale constituée d’informations sur 472 parcelles, 33 variétés et 11 sols aux propriétés physiques différentes et collectées entre 1984 et 2009 dans toute la Camargue; (ii) la sélection des options et des formalismes pertinents pour la culture du riz, (iii) la préparation du jeu de données pour la modélisation par élimination des parcelles dont les rendements sont limités par des facteurs non pris en compte dans le modèle; (iv) la paramétrisation et la simulation des variables choisies.Les résultats de l’application de STICS au riz sont satisfaisants pour près de 80% des parcelles utilisées pour la base de données de calibration. L’accord entre les simulations et les observations est meilleur lorsque les informations d’entrée du modèle sont complètes. Les simulations de la biomasse et du rendement en grains sont d’une qualité légèrement plus faible pour la base de données de validation que pour la base da calibration. / The crop model STICS was adapted for the flooded rice and model’s prediction ability was evaluated by the simulation of the plant biomass at harvest as well as the grain yield. The dataset used for this purpose was collected from the fields situated in whole Camargue (Southern France) and managed by the farmers. We introduced an original procedure to use the farm data instead of experimentation for modeling. This work was carried out in three phases, (i) analysis of the initial database of 472 fields, 33 different varieties and 11 physically different soils grown in the whole Camargue between 1984 and 2009, (ii) selection of the options of formalisms relevant to the rice crop, (iii) preparation of dataset for modeling by eliminating the fields in which the yields were limited by the factors not taken into account by the model and (iv) parameterization and the simulation of the selected target variables. The results of the application of STICS to rice crop were satisfactory for almost 80% of the fields of calibration data. Particularly, there was a good agreement between simulations and measurements of the situations with complete information regarding to the inputs. The simulation patterns for both the plant biomass and the grain yield of dataset of validation are similar as that of dataset of calibration exhibiting slightly reduced simulation quality. More discrepancies were observed in the simulations made by the model calculated dates of different phenological stages compared to the simulations run by using the observed dates of same stages.

Neste trabalho a variabilidade climatica do oceano Austral e a ocorrencia da Onda Circumpolar Antartica (OCA) sao investigadas. Foram usados os dados de uma simulaçao do modelo numerico acoplado do Nacional Centre for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model - NCAR CCSM de 150 anos, e um conjunto de dados climatologicos como base de comparaçao dos dados do modelo. estes foram obtidos da Re-analise do NCEP/NCAR (National Center for Envirommental Prediction) para o periodo de janeiro de 1948 a julho de 2002. Com o intuito de analisar o comportamento sazonal e anual foram analisadas as climatologias e utilizada a tecnica de analise harmonica das variaveis de temperatura da superficie do mar (TSM), pressao ao nivel do mar (PNM), componentes meridional (Vy) e zonal (Vx) do vento. Para analisar o comportamento interanual dessas variaveis sao utilizados diagramas Hovmoeller, espectros de potencia, alem de tecnicas estatisticas como Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) e singular Value Decomposition (SVD). / In this study the climatic variability of the Southern ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW) are investigated. The National Center for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model _ NCAR CCSM coupled model 150 years simulation data is compered with the climatology data from the Nacional Center for Envirommental Prediction - NCEP/NCAR Re-analysis, for a period from january/1948 until july/2002. Annual and seasonal climatology and harmonic analysis are used for the following variables: sea surface temperature (SST), sea level pressure (SLP), meridional and zonal wind. Hovmoeller diagrams, potencial spectra and statistics methods such as Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) are used to analyze changes in interannual behavior of this variables.

Neste trabalho a variabilidade climatica do oceano Austral e a ocorrencia da Onda Circumpolar Antartica (OCA) sao investigadas. Foram usados os dados de uma simulaçao do modelo numerico acoplado do Nacional Centre for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model - NCAR CCSM de 150 anos, e um conjunto de dados climatologicos como base de comparaçao dos dados do modelo. estes foram obtidos da Re-analise do NCEP/NCAR (National Center for Envirommental Prediction) para o periodo de janeiro de 1948 a julho de 2002. Com o intuito de analisar o comportamento sazonal e anual foram analisadas as climatologias e utilizada a tecnica de analise harmonica das variaveis de temperatura da superficie do mar (TSM), pressao ao nivel do mar (PNM), componentes meridional (Vy) e zonal (Vx) do vento. Para analisar o comportamento interanual dessas variaveis sao utilizados diagramas Hovmoeller, espectros de potencia, alem de tecnicas estatisticas como Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) e singular Value Decomposition (SVD). / In this study the climatic variability of the Southern ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW) are investigated. The National Center for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model _ NCAR CCSM coupled model 150 years simulation data is compered with the climatology data from the Nacional Center for Envirommental Prediction - NCEP/NCAR Re-analysis, for a period from january/1948 until july/2002. Annual and seasonal climatology and harmonic analysis are used for the following variables: sea surface temperature (SST), sea level pressure (SLP), meridional and zonal wind. Hovmoeller diagrams, potencial spectra and statistics methods such as Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) are used to analyze changes in interannual behavior of this variables.

Low-income urban settlements in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) present an extreme case where catastrophic hazards (natural events) and chronic hazards (developed through lack of basic services) overlap. These low-income urban populations often occupy informal settlements that are particularly exposed to natural hazards such as flooding, and their vulnerability also reflects multiple deficiencies arising from their lack of basic services; they accordingly face the greatest challenges to adapt. The research reported in this thesis aims (i) to understand the adaptation processes of the urban poor to flooding; (ii) to develop new knowledge about bottom-up ways in which adaptation to flooding emerges and can be enhanced within households and communities in low-income urban settlements; and (iii) to identify how relevant organizations can contribute effectively to the adaptation process, from a more top-down perspective. The particular case study for the research is located in Dhaka East, where there is both high vulnerability to flooding, and also a significant proportion of the low-income population. The research has adopted a mixed methods approach involving different data collection methods primarily governed by the different scales and actors being investigated, i.e. households, communities and organizations (including government and NGOs). Hence, a questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and transect walks have all been undertaken. The diverse forms of data deriving from these methods have been integrated using a qualitative form of systems analysis, to understand the relationships amongst the key variables in the vulnerability and adaptation system under investigation. The research has also developed a form of grounded theory on the processes whereby adaptive behaviour is learned and diffused in amongst the population at risk, and how more organizational-level procedures can positively influence these processes, and be improved where necessary. The research contributes to the advancement of knowledge about (a) the vulnerability of urban poor to flooding; (b) the adaptation process of the urban poor to flooding; (c) the role of organizations in affecting both vulnerability and adaptation amongst the urban poor; (d) a research methodology appropriate for exploring such inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary research issues. The study further provides relevant recommendations, based on conclusions from the systems analyses, which are potentially applicable in similar contexts in the LDCs in helping low-income urban populations to adapt more successfully to flooding. Notably, although the research focuses on adaptation of the urban poor to flooding in Dhaka, its conceptual, methodological and research findings are likely to be applicable in other LDCs where the urban poor are subjected to environmental risks.

Este trabalho elaborou séries temporais de eventos extremos de precipitação, de 1901 a 2000 para o Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Utilizou-se reanálises da Universidade de Delaware (EUA), registros históricos de jornais, registros oficiais, e dados de 17 estações meteorológicas do INMET no RS. Identificou-se anomalias climáticas (positivas e negativas) de precipitação ao longo do século XX em diferentes pontos do RS. Adotou-se como evento extremo anomalias superiores (inferiores) a 50 mm (-50 mm). As séries foram aplicadas a um zoneamento da precipitação do RS visando avaliar a variabilidade e a distribuição, assim como a influência do El Niño – Oscilação Sul (ENOS). O zoneamento escolhido foi: Campanha, Litoral e Planalto. Por fim, foi gerada uma classificação da variabilidade da precipitação durante eventos ENOS para o RS, no século XX, com base na classificação do ENOS na região do Niño 3.4. Identificou-se que as zonas Campanha e Planalto são mais suscetíveis à variabilidade do ENOS com média de 75 mm em eventos positivos e -67 mm em eventos negativos de precipitação, e o Litoral apresenta menor influência aparente, indicando uma subdivisão desta zona em dois setores devido ao seu contraste latitudinal. A maior anomalia mensal para os meses neutros foi de 428,90 mm (abril de 1959), 224,51 (abril de 1941) mm em anos de El Niño e 174,55 mm (janeiro de 1938) em La Niña. Por fim, observouse que o zoneamento não se mostrou adequado para esta análise, pois o Planalto, maior zona em área, apresenta uma amplitude de 1200 m na altimetria, e o Litoral apresenta um comportamento diferenciado devido ao contraste latitudinal e a escarpa do planalto no litoral norte. Identificou-se que os primeiros 50 anos do século XX apresentam equivalência entre a região do Niño 3.4 e o RS. A partir de 1950, os eventos no RS passaram a ter uma classe maior do que no Niño 3.4, ou seja, houve um aumento (diminuição) médio de 50 mm (-25 mm) nas anomalias positivas (negativas) de precipitação no RS. Assim, nos últimos 50 anos, um evento de uma determinada classe na região Niño 3.4 pode gerar anomalias de precipitação maiores no Rio Grande do Sul. / This work elaborated time series of precipitation extreme events (1901-2000) for the Rio Grande do Sul State (RS). Reanalysis from University of Delaware, newspapers historical records, official records and data from 17 INMET meteorological stations were used. Precipitation climatic anomalies (positive and negative) were identified at different points of RS during the 20th century. It was found that positive (negative) anomalies were above (below) of 50 mm (-50 mm). The time series were applied to a RS precipitation zoning to spatialize the variability and distribution, as well the influence of El Niño – South Oscillation (ENSO). The zoning was: Campanha, Litoral and Planalto. Afterwards, a classification of RS precipitation variability during ENSO events was generated based on Niño 3.4 region classification. It was identified that Campanha and Planalto zones are more susceptible to ENSO variability, pointing a mean of 75 (-67) mm in positive (negative) precipitation events, and the Litoral showed less apparent influence, indicating a subdivision of this zone into two sectors due it’s latitudinal contrast. The highest monthly anomaly in neutral months was 428,90 mm (April 1959), 224,51 mm (April 1941) in El Niño events and 174,55 mm (January 1938) in La Niña events. Finally, it was observed that the zoning was not adequate for this analysis, since the Planalto, largest zone, presents 1200 m of amplitude in altimetry and the Litoral presents differentiated behavior due the latitudinal contrast and the escarpment of the Plateau on the north coast. It was identified that the first 50 years of the 20th century presented equivalence between Niño 3.4 region and the RS classifications. After 1950, the events in RS started to show a higher class than in Niño 3.4. There was an average increase (decrease) of 50 mm (-25 mm) in positive (negative) precipitation anomalies in RS. Then, in the last 50 years, an event of a certain category may generate higher precipitation anomalies at the Rio Grande do Sul.

Este trabalho elaborou séries temporais de eventos extremos de precipitação, de 1901 a 2000 para o Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Utilizou-se reanálises da Universidade de Delaware (EUA), registros históricos de jornais, registros oficiais, e dados de 17 estações meteorológicas do INMET no RS. Identificou-se anomalias climáticas (positivas e negativas) de precipitação ao longo do século XX em diferentes pontos do RS. Adotou-se como evento extremo anomalias superiores (inferiores) a 50 mm (-50 mm). As séries foram aplicadas a um zoneamento da precipitação do RS visando avaliar a variabilidade e a distribuição, assim como a influência do El Niño – Oscilação Sul (ENOS). O zoneamento escolhido foi: Campanha, Litoral e Planalto. Por fim, foi gerada uma classificação da variabilidade da precipitação durante eventos ENOS para o RS, no século XX, com base na classificação do ENOS na região do Niño 3.4. Identificou-se que as zonas Campanha e Planalto são mais suscetíveis à variabilidade do ENOS com média de 75 mm em eventos positivos e -67 mm em eventos negativos de precipitação, e o Litoral apresenta menor influência aparente, indicando uma subdivisão desta zona em dois setores devido ao seu contraste latitudinal. A maior anomalia mensal para os meses neutros foi de 428,90 mm (abril de 1959), 224,51 (abril de 1941) mm em anos de El Niño e 174,55 mm (janeiro de 1938) em La Niña. Por fim, observouse que o zoneamento não se mostrou adequado para esta análise, pois o Planalto, maior zona em área, apresenta uma amplitude de 1200 m na altimetria, e o Litoral apresenta um comportamento diferenciado devido ao contraste latitudinal e a escarpa do planalto no litoral norte. Identificou-se que os primeiros 50 anos do século XX apresentam equivalência entre a região do Niño 3.4 e o RS. A partir de 1950, os eventos no RS passaram a ter uma classe maior do que no Niño 3.4, ou seja, houve um aumento (diminuição) médio de 50 mm (-25 mm) nas anomalias positivas (negativas) de precipitação no RS. Assim, nos últimos 50 anos, um evento de uma determinada classe na região Niño 3.4 pode gerar anomalias de precipitação maiores no Rio Grande do Sul. / This work elaborated time series of precipitation extreme events (1901-2000) for the Rio Grande do Sul State (RS). Reanalysis from University of Delaware, newspapers historical records, official records and data from 17 INMET meteorological stations were used. Precipitation climatic anomalies (positive and negative) were identified at different points of RS during the 20th century. It was found that positive (negative) anomalies were above (below) of 50 mm (-50 mm). The time series were applied to a RS precipitation zoning to spatialize the variability and distribution, as well the influence of El Niño – South Oscillation (ENSO). The zoning was: Campanha, Litoral and Planalto. Afterwards, a classification of RS precipitation variability during ENSO events was generated based on Niño 3.4 region classification. It was identified that Campanha and Planalto zones are more susceptible to ENSO variability, pointing a mean of 75 (-67) mm in positive (negative) precipitation events, and the Litoral showed less apparent influence, indicating a subdivision of this zone into two sectors due it’s latitudinal contrast. The highest monthly anomaly in neutral months was 428,90 mm (April 1959), 224,51 mm (April 1941) in El Niño events and 174,55 mm (January 1938) in La Niña events. Finally, it was observed that the zoning was not adequate for this analysis, since the Planalto, largest zone, presents 1200 m of amplitude in altimetry and the Litoral presents differentiated behavior due the latitudinal contrast and the escarpment of the Plateau on the north coast. It was identified that the first 50 years of the 20th century presented equivalence between Niño 3.4 region and the RS classifications. After 1950, the events in RS started to show a higher class than in Niño 3.4. There was an average increase (decrease) of 50 mm (-25 mm) in positive (negative) precipitation anomalies in RS. Then, in the last 50 years, an event of a certain category may generate higher precipitation anomalies at the Rio Grande do Sul.