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Quantifying and characterizing the spatial distribution of freshwater availability and water scarcity plays an indispensable role in managing water resources in a basin. This study aimed at quantifying green and blue water resource availability using an eco-hydrological model under different land use land cover conditions between 2000–2010 and 2020 in the upper Awash basin, central Ethiopia. Further, the agricultural water scarcity is assessed for dominantly cultivated crops in the basin. The freshwater components such as the green water (GW) flow (∼1041–1240 mm/yr), blue water (BW) flow (277–304 mm/yr), and GW storage (809-872 mm/yr) were observed to be high in the western highlands compared to the central and eastern parts of the basin. The results of GW scarcity indices show low to moderate scarcity for rainfed crops, and moderate to significant BW scarcity for irrigated sugarcane. Integrating GW potential to reduce BW scarcity in the basin is thus crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a new method to compute plant distribution in Ethiopia under paleoclimatic conditions using fuzzy logic. Using a published map of the potential vegetation for Ethiopia we decipher the boundary conditions for the main vegetation units shown, reflecting modern climatic conditions for temperature and precipitation in this region. Fuzzy logic using these climatic values on a GIS platform then derived the computational map of the potential vegetation. Comparing it with the original map shows a general correspondence of about 90%. By changing the underlying climate parameters, we then used this model for hypothetical paleoclimatic conditions to simulate the vegetational response on these changed climate settings. Finally, vegetational response maps for Ethiopia are presented for two scenarios: (i) a colder and drier condition (such as the Last Glacial Maximum) and (ii) a warmer and wetter condition (such as the last interglacial) than today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geomorphological map described below covers an area of about 100 km2, located on the southeastern slope of Mt. Amba Aradam (northern Ethiopia). It has been produced within the Ethio-Italian Cooperation Programme, in order to understand the recent evolution and present-day trends of the area as a basic tool for land reclamation/rehabilitation projects. The survey was carried out in three successive work campaigns (February 1995, February-March 1996 and December 2002) following the Italian Environmental Agency guidelines. The main geomorphological processes responsible for present-day landscape modelling in the investigation area, are gravity-driven mass movements and slope erosion due to running water. They strongly affect human activities, especially in terms of agriculture and infrastructure management. This map may therefore represent a useful document for land management as well as the initial step for the assessment of geomorphological hazard and risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A geomorphological map of the southern slope of the Amba Aradam mountain in Tigray, Ethiopia is presented with various information including the alluvial deposits, colluvial deposits and slope-waste deposits.