Author(s): Nesma Adwy, Haytham Awad, Mohamed Abourohim, Alaa Eldeen Yassin
Linked Author(s): Nesma Adwy
Keywords: Machar marshes, South Sudan, remote sensing, classification, SEBAL
Abstract: It has been recognized that there is a possibility to increase the overall availability of water in the Nile Basin by reducing �losses� of water through evaporation. The marshes became a subject of research by planners to save water by reducing the evaporation (losses) from the marshes such as the Machar Marshes which lies north of the Sobat River in southern Sudan. During the flood season, a small amount of water from the Machar Marshes enters the White Nile, northeast of Malakal, due to the water losses mostly by evaporation. Based on the very limited data available over the Machar region, remote sensing is conducted to compute Machar area and annual evapotranspiration from these wetlands, after that the monthly water balance will be simulated. Landsat-7 and Landsat 8 imagery for wet and dry seasons of the Machar area are studied to assess the historical land use change between 2001 and 2014. It is found that the areas are 724 km2, 9221 km2 for April and September respectively for the year 2001, and 494 km2, 6161 km2 for April and September respectively for the year 2014. A remote sensing technique is used assess actual evapotranspiration (Eta) across Machar marshes using and applies the theory of the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) model. It is found that the annual evapotranspiration is 1404 mm. The Machar Canal is designed to bypass the marshes and direct downstream a proportion of the water that is 'lost' from the Nile each year by spill and evaporation in the swamps. In order to analyze and investigate the amount of water saving by this scenario, Hec-ResSim model is used to calculate this simulation which reveals that an amount of 4. 299 to 5. 8BCM can be saved
Year: 2017