Takele et al. (2026) Multi-decadal water budget dynamics of the Great Gibe river basin using google earth engine and SWAT

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Identification

• Journal: Journal of Water and Climate Change
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-09
• Authors: Sileshi Gizachew Takele, Fekadu Fufa, Tamene Adugna Demissie
• DOI: 10.2166/wcc.2026.086

Research Groups

• Ethiopian National Meteorological Agency (NMA)
• Addis Ababa University, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Short Summary

This study decodes the temporal and spatial variability of water budget components in Ethiopia's Great Gibe River Basin through multi-decadal analysis, revealing key drivers of water balance changes with implications for drought risk, water supply reliability, and ecosystem sustainability.

Objective

• Investigate the long-term dynamics of water budget components (precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, runoff, and storage) in the Great Gibe River Basin under climate change.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: The study focuses on the Great Gibe River Basin in Ethiopia.
• Temporal Scale: Multi-decadal analysis covering several decades.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)
• Data sources: Remote sensing datasets, Google Earth Engine

Main Results

• Evapotranspiration remains the dominant loss component, accounting for 45.1% of the water budget.
• Basin storage displays long-term equilibrium, indicating no significant multi-decadal accumulation or depletion.
• Sub-basins exhibit distinct hydrological behavior, with runoff yields ranging from 858.9 to 1,537.5 mm/year.

Contributions

This study contributes to improving our understanding of climate-driven hydrological variability in data-scarce regions and highlights the value of combining remote sensing and hydrological modelling for climate-resilient water resource management.

Funding

• This research was supported by the Ethiopian National Meteorological Agency (NMA) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Citation

@article{Takele2026Multidecadal,
  author = {Takele, Sileshi Gizachew and Fufa, Fekadu and Demissie, Tamene Adugna},
  title = {Multi-decadal water budget dynamics of the Great Gibe river basin using google earth engine and SWAT},
  journal = {Journal of Water and Climate Change},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.2166/wcc.2026.086},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2026.086}
}