Understanding possible adaptation options in...
URL: https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/understanding-possible-adaptation-options-response-climate-change.pdf
Authors: David Robertson, Rebecca Lester, Geoffrey Adams and David Dodemaide
Date of publication: September 2022
Climate change projections indicate that the Basin will be hotter, with lower average annual rainfall and reduced runoff but an increased number of extreme events. The combination of these impacts means that adaptations are likely to be required to maintain the resilience of the communities and environment.
This report reviewed the adaptation options to mitigate climate change impacts on basin outcomes being considered by institutions and develop a system to classify these options.
This report provides a conceptual foundation for characterising and analysing climate adaptation options currently considered by industries, institutions and communities in the Basin. It also reviews how evidence for the impacts of adaptation options can be complied with to support policy making, focusing on the role of river system models.
Key findings / recommendations:
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A classification system of climate change adaptation options has been developed based on options currently considered by the Basin’s water management institutions.
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Adaptation options are categorised according to the objectives they seek to address in a changing climate and by a range of additional dimensions.
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Most adaptation options currently considered are focused on a river reach or regional scale, with short implementation times and are likely to deliver benefits rapidly with a high degree of confidence. There is an opportunity for future MD-WERP case studies to investigate wider consequences of adaptation outcomes to assess regional to whole-of-basin outcomes.
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Whilst most adaptation options reviewed can be represented in river system models, a gap was identified in the ability to translate hydrological metrics to indicators of Basin outcomes. This gap could be addressed by using models and other tools to post-process hydrological time-series generation by river system models, such as those being developed in the MD-WERP Climate Adaptation Toolkit, HydroBOT.
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