Geoffrey Mukwada
University of the Free State, South Africa
Title: Influence of climate change on temperature and precipitation patterns and trends in the Drakensberg Mountain Region of South Africa and Lesotho
Biography
Biography: Geoffrey Mukwada
Abstract
While climate change is a universal phenomenon, its impacts are expected to be disproportionately higher in mountainous regions than in other regions. This vulnerability can be explained in terms of altitude, one of the four factors that regulate the climate of mountain regions - latitude, continentality and topography included. This case study uses Climate Research Unit Time series 4.01 monthly observation data to assess the impact of climate change on precipitation and temperature trends and anomalies in the Drakensberg Mountains. Understanding how the climate is changing in this region will not help policy makers in these in South Africa and Lesotho to plan better for mitigation but will also have a variety of applications in hydrological, ecological, social and agricultural studies and related fields. Climate Research Unit Time series 4.01 data were downloaded from the Climate Explorer website. The resolution of the data was 0.5o×0.5o, and covered the mountain belt that was delineated from a digital elevation model (DEM), comprising the region whose altitude exceeds 1,600 meters above sea level. The results of this study indicate that the climate of the Drakensberg Mountain Region is becoming warmer, while droughts are becoming more frequent due to reduced rainfall reliability. These changes will create a number of environmental challenges which might impact negatively on both ecosystem services and the livelihoods of mountain communities.