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Water & Freshwater

Displaying 16 - 30 of 36
Wetlands
Water is essential for life on Earth and a critical natural resource that underpins all social and economic activity. Ensuring water and sanitation for all is one of the Sustainable Development Goals ...
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Relative likelihood of hydro-political interactions
Tensions over freshwater use and management in international river basins are one of the main concerns in political relations. They may exacerbate existing tensions, increase regional instability and ...
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Total annual gross water loss through evaporation from hydropower reservoirs
Dam-induced impoundment of water in hydropower reservoirs usually causes enlarged water surfaces compared to the waterbody extent prior to dam construction (with the exception of reservoirs constraine...
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Total annual energy production of hydropower plants
Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region highly depend on hydropower which is one of the energy sources that are most affected by droughts. At the same time hydropower has a huge i...
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Total installed capacity of hydropower plants
The hydropower installed capacity indicates the amount of energy a hydropower plant can produce in its turbines. In 2016, hydropower accounted for 54% of the installed capacity in Eastern Africa, 58% ...
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Annual surface area of hydropower reservoirs
Higher energy demands in Africa has led to a wide expansion of the number of hydropower sites, mainly between the 1960s and 1980s. The construction of dams causes impoundments of rivers and reservoirs...
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Annual water loss through evaporation from hydropower reservoirs (mcm/year)
Dam-induced impoundment of water in hydropower reservoirs usually causes enlarged water surfaces compared to the waterbody extent prior to dam construction (with the exception of reservoirs constraine...
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Annual energy production of hydropower plants
Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, highly depend on hydropower, which is one of the energy sources most affected by droughts. At the same time, hydropower has a huge impact ...
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Total annual gross water loss vs total annual energy production of hydropower pl
In 2016, a total of 42 billion cubic meters of water was lost through evaporation in hydropower reservoirs in Africa. A huge amount compared to the 1.2 billion cubic meters lost from all the other fue...
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Total surface area of hydropower reservoirs
Higher energy demands in Africa has led to a wide expansion of the number of hydropower sites, mainly between the 1960s and 980s. The construction of dams causes impoundments of rivers and reservoirs ...
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Water stress (areas of concern)
Water is a critical natural resource for both natural ecosystems and human subsistence. Some of the most immediate pressures on land that lead to degradation include diversion of surface waters and th...
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Terrestrial Ecosystems of Africa
Organisms and non-living elements of the environment such as climate, soil, and water are connected through the movement of nutrients and energy in ecosystems. Ecosystems represent specific areas wher...
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Irrigation (areas of concern)
Irrigation enables farmers to increase crop production by reducing their dependence on natural rainfall. It is considered a vital part of ensuring food security in the future. Yet it also causes exten...
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Aridity (areas of concern)
Aridity represents the ‘dryness’ of the climate. Dry areas have a higher potential for land degradation. This layer displays the areas of concern for aridity related issues derived from the convergenc...
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Land Cover Change (1995-2015)
Land cover is defined as the physical material at the surface of the earth, usually documented via the interpretation of earth observations. Common land cover types include trees, grass, bare ground, ...
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