Water retention

Indicator Assessment
Prod-ID: IND-201-en
Also known as: CLIM 029
expired Created 08 Sep 2008 Published 08 Sep 2008 Last modified 28 Jun 2016
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Water retention capacity and soil moisture content will be affected by rising temperatures and by a decline in soil organic matter due to both climate change and land-management changes. Projections (for 2071-2100) show a general reduction in summer soil moisture over most of Europe, significant reductions in the Mediterranean region, and increases in the north-eastern part of Europe. Maintaining water retention capacity is important to reducing the impacts of intense rainfall and droughts, which are projected to become more frequent and severe.

Update planned for November 2012

Key messages

  • Water retention capacity and soil moisture content will be affected by rising temperatures and by a decline in soil organic matter due to both climate change and land-management changes.
  • Projections (for 2071-2100) show a general reduction in summer soil moisture over most of Europe, significant reductions in the Mediterranean region, and increases in the north-eastern part of Europe.
  • Maintaining water retention capacity is important to reducing the impacts of intense rainfall and droughts, which are projected to become more frequent and severe.

..

Modelled soil moisture in Europe

Modelled soil moisture in Europe

Note: Left: example of a forecast of topsoil moisture (15 July, 2008), right: subsoil available water capacity derived from modelling data.

Data source:

European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC), http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/library/esdac/index.html (left); and European Flood Alert System (EFAS) http://efas.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ (right).

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Modelled summer soil moisture (1961-1990) and projected changes (2071-2100) over Europe

Modelled summer soil moisture (1961-1990) and projected changes (2071-2100) over Europe

Note: Simulated soil moisture by ECHAM5/T106L31 for the baseline period (1961-1990) (left) and relative changes in % under the IPCC A2 scenario (2071-2100) (right).

Data source:

Simulated by the ECHAM5 global climate model. Calanca et al., 2006.

Calanca, P.; Roesch, A.; Jasper, K.; Wild, M., 2006. Global warming and the summertime evapotranspiration regime of the Alpine region. Climatic Change 79: 6578.

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  • Past trends

There is no clear indication on past trends for water retention across the EU except for local field data. However several models can be used to assess soil moisture, for both subsoil and topsoil. Figure 1, right shows the subsoil available water capacity derived from modelling data. Capacity is high in north-western and central Europe and low in parts of the Mediterranean. Forecasts of soil moisture trends (an example for 15 July 2008 is shown in Figure 1, left) show very wet topsoils in north-western and central Europe and dry topsoils in the Mediterranean.
Long-term past trend analysis of these modeled characteristics is not possible due to lack of information over a sufficient time-period for the main soil properties that are the input parameters for the models used.

Projections

Figure 2 presents summer soil moisture over continental Europe for the IPCC A2 scenario (2071-2100), compared with 1961-1990. The projections show a general reduction in summer soil moisture over most of Europe and significant reductions in the Mediterranean region, while the north-eastern part of Europe will experience an increase in summer soil moisture.

Indicator specification and metadata

Indicator definition

  • Modelled summer soil moisture (1961-1990) and projected changes (2070-2080) over Europe

Units

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp111-148CC2008_ch5-7to9_Terrestrial_ecosystems_soil_and_agriculture.pdf


Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

Soil water retention is a major soil hydraulic property that governs soil functioning in ecosystems and greatly affects soil management. Soil moisture forms a major buffer against flooding, and water capacity in subsoil is a major steering factor for plant growth. The effects of changes in soil water retention depend on the proportions of the textural components and the amount of organic carbon present in the soil. At low carbon contents, an increase in carbon content leads to an increase in water retention in coarse soils and a decrease in fine-textured soils. At high carbon contents, an increase in carbon content results in an increase in water retention for all soil textures (Rawls et al., 2003). Soil organic matter can absorb up to twenty times its weight in water. Changes in temperature result in changes in evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and infiltration. These will also influence groundwater recharge by changing the ratio of surface run-off to infiltration. Projections for climate change indicate greater droughts in some areas, which might lead to substantial reductions in summertime soil moisture, and more rainfall -- even too much -- in others, and also increases in the off-site impacts of soil erosion. Maintaining or even enhancing the water retention capacity of soils can therefore play a positive role in mitigating the impacts of more extreme rainfall intensity and more frequent and severe droughts. Harmonised time-series on relevant soil properties are not available but should be developed. The development of projections for the soil characteristics presented here (subsoil available water capacity and topsoil moisture), which depend entirely on soil properties, is difficult due to lack of data to validate the models. Further research is needed using satellite information and linking this to representative observed data.

Scientific references

  • References Calanca, P.; Roesch, A.; Jasper, K.; Wild, M., 2006. Global warming and the summertime evpotranspiration regime of the Alpine region. Climatic Change 79: 65-78. Rawls, W. J.; Pachepsky, Y. A.; Ritchie, J. C.; Sobecki, T. M.; Bloodworth, H., 2003. Effect of soil organic carbon on soil water retention, Geoderma, 2003. Elsevier.

Policy context and targets

Context description

In April 2009 the European Commission presented a White Paper on the framework for adaptation policies and measures to reduce the European Union's vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. The aim is to increase the resilience to climate change of health, property and the productive functions of land, inter alia by improving the management of water resources and ecosystems. More knowledge is needed on climate impact and vulnerability but a considerable amount of information and research already exists which can be shared better through a proposed Clearing House Mechanism. The White Paper stresses the need to mainstream adaptation into existing and new EU policies. A number of Member States have already taken action and several have prepared national adaptation plans. The EU is also developing actions to enhance and finance adaptation in developing countries as part of a new post-2012 global climate agreement expected in Copenhagen (Dec. 2009). For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/adaptation/index_en.htm

Targets

No targets have been specified

Related policy documents

No related policy documents have been specified

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp193-207CC2008_ch8_Data_gaps.pdf

Data sets uncertainty

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp193-207CC2008_ch8_Data_gaps.pdf

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified

Data sources

Metadata

Topics:

information.png Tags:
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DPSIR: Impact
Typology: Descriptive indicator (Type A - What is happening to the environment and to humans?)
Indicator codes
  • CLIM 029
Temporal coverage:
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Countries

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Geographical areas

Dates

First draft created:
08 Sep 2008, 12:00 AM
Publish date:
08 Sep 2008, 12:00 AM
Last modified:
28 Jun 2016, 05:51 PM

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/water-retention/water-retention-assessment-published-sep-2008 or scan the QR code.

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