Water, Land and Ecosystems - Sudan

No changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen following long-term prescribed burning and livestock exclusion in the Sudan-savanna woodlands of Burkina Faso

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 11:36:00 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Subjects

Land Management
Livestock
Policy
Soil

Languageen

Authors

Aynekulu, Ermias
Sileshi, Gudeta W.
Rosenstock, Todd S.
Noordwijk, Meinevan
Tsegaye, Diress
Koala, Jonas
Sawadogo, Louis
Milne, Eleanor
Leeuw, Jan de
Shepherd, Keith D.

Fire and overgrazing reduce aboveground biomass, leading to land degradation and potential impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) dynamics. However, empirical data are lacking on how prescribed burning and livestock exclusion impact SOC in the long-term. Here we analyse the effects of 19 years of prescribed annual burning and livestock exclusion on tree density, SOC and TN concentrations in the Sudanian savanna ecoregion at two sites (Tiogo and Laba) in Burkina Faso. Results revealed that neither livestock exclusion nor prescribed burning had significant impact on SOC and TN concentrations. The results at both sites indicate that 19 years of livestock and fire exclusion did not result in a significant increase in tree density compared to grazing and annual prescribed burning. The overall mean (± SEM) of SOC stocks in the 0–50 cm depth increment in the unburnt (53.5 ± 4.7 Mg C ha−1) and annually burnt (56.4 ± 4.3 Mg C ha−1) plots at Tiogo were not statistically different. Similarly, at Laba there was no significant difference between the corresponding figures in the unburnt (37.9 ± 2.6 Mg ha−1) and in the annually burnt plots (38.6 ± 1.9 Mg ha−1). Increases in belowground inputs from root turnover may have countered changes in aboveground biomass, resulting in no net change in SOC and TN. We conclude that, contrary to our expectation and current policy recommendations, restricting burning or grazing did not result in increase in SOC stocks in this dry savanna ecosystem.

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Aynekulu, Ermias; Sileshi, Gudeta W.; Rosenstock, Todd S.; Noordwijk, Meinevan; Tsegaye, Diress; Koala, Jonas; Sawadogo, Louis; Milne, Eleanor; Leeuw, Jande; Shepherd, Keith. 2021. No changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen following long-term prescribed burning and livestock exclusion in the Sudan-savanna woodlands of Burkina Faso. Basic and applied ecology. 56(2021):165-175 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2021.07.007

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114637

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Using smart ICT to provide weather and water information to smallholders in Africa: the case of the Gash River Basin, Sudan

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Amarnath, Giriraj
Simons, G.W.H.
Alahacoon, Niranga
Smakhtin, Vladimir U.
Sharma, Bharat R.
Gismalla, Y.
Mohammed, Y.
Andriessen, M.C.M.

In the Gash Delta of Eastern Sudan, spate irrigation (flood-recession farming) contributes substantially to rural livelihoods by providing better yields than rainfed dryland farming. However, spate irrigation farmers are challenged by the unpredictability of flooding. In recent decades, the number of farmers practicing spate irrigation has decreased, due to varying rainfall intensity and frequency, insufficient infrastructure and farmers’ limited capacity to manage such variations. One solution that may help farmers face such challenges is for them to access real-time water-related information by using smart Information and Communication a Technology (ICT). This paper shows how integrating remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), flood-forecasting models and communication platforms can, in near real time, alert smallholder farmers and relevant government departments about incoming floods, using the Gash basin of Sudan as an example. The Ministry of Water Resources of Sudan used the findings of this study to transform farmers’ responses to flood arrival from being ‘reactive’, to planning for the flood event. Intensive on-site and institutional efforts to build the capacity of farmers, farmer organizations, development departments and officers of the Ministry helped to develop the initiative from simply sending ‘emergency alerts’ to enabling stakeholders to visually see the flood event unfolding in the region and to plan accordingly for storing water, operating spate-irrigation systems and undertaking cropping activities. The research, initially conducted on a 60 × 60 km site, was later extended to the entire Gash basin. The paper outlines how to develop tools that can monitor plot-specific information from satellite measurements, and supply detailed and specific information on crops, rather than providing very general statements on crop growth. Farmers are able to use such tools to optimize their farm profits by providing water to their crops in the right place, at the right time and in the right quantity. Finally, the work demonstrates the high potential of combining technology, namely remote sensing data and simple a agro-meteorological model with limited parameters, for large-scale monitoring of spate irrigation systems and information sharing to advise farmers as to how to apply this information to their managerial decisions.

Citation

Amarnath, Giriraj; Simons, G. W. H.; Alahacoon, Niranga; Smakhtin, V.; Sharma, Bharat; Gismalla, Y.; Mohammed, Y.; Andrie, M. C. M. 2018. Using smart ICT to provide weather and water information tosmallholders in Africa: the case of the Gash River Basin, Sudan. Climate Risk Management, 22:52-66. doi: 10.1016/j.crm.2018.10.001

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Variability, Risks and Competing Uses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/98952

A post-separation Social Accounting Matrix for the Sudan.

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeWorking Paper

Subjects

Agricultural production
Energy
Water use

Languageen

Authors

Siddig, Khalid
Elagra, Samir
Grethe, Harald
Mubarak, Amel

The 2012 Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for the Sudan, with a special focus on agriculture, water, and energy, is built using data from domestic sources in the Sudan, including the Central Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and the Central Bank of Sudan, besides other external sources. Major data sets used include the 2012 National Accounts and Trade Statistics of the CBS, the 53rd Annual Report of the Central Bank of the Sudan, the 2011 Labor Force Survey, the 2009 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the 2009-2012 Agricultural Production Cost Survey, and the 2005 Industrial Survey. Data from external sources are used to complement national sources. These sources include IMF studies on government finances, FAO reports and data on agriculture, and ILO reports on labor. The SAM distinguishes between agricultural activities based on modes of irrigation, energy based on its major source, and water based on modes of production and types of uses. Land is divided into irrigated and non-irrigated, while natural water resources are added in a separate account. Households are categorized by state, location (rural and urban), and income quintiles. Labor accounts are differentiated based on location (rural and urban), skill level, and gender.

Citation

Siddig, Khalid; Elagra, Samir; Grethe, Harald; Mubarak, Amel. 2018. A post-separation Social Accounting Matrix for the Sudan. MENA RP Working Paper 8. Washington, D.C. and Cairo, Egypt: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/132312

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99297

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Climate change and agriculture in the Sudan: Impact pathways beyond changes in mean rainfall and temperature

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeWorking Paper

Subjects

Climate change

Languageen

Authors

Siddig, Khalid
Stepanyan, Davit
Wiebelt, Manfred
Zhu, Tingju
Grethe, Harald

Several environmental changes have occurred in the Sudan in the past; several are ongoing; and others are projected to happen in the future. The Sudan has witnessed increases in temperature, floods, rainfall variability, and concurrent droughts. In a country where agriculture, which is mainly rainfed, is a major contributor to gross domestic product, foreign exchange earnings, and livelihoods, these changes are especially important, requiring measurement and analysis of their impact. This study not only analyzes the economy-wide impacts of climate change, but also consults national policy plans, strategies, and environmental assessments to identify interventions which may mitigate the effects. We feed climate forcing, water demand, and macro-socioeconomic trends into a modelling suite that includes models for global hydrology, river basin management, water stress, and crop growth, all connected to the International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT). The outcomes of this part of the modeling suite are annual crop yields and global food prices under various climate change scenarios until 2050. The effects of such changes on production, consumption, macroeconomic indicators, and income distribution are assessed using a single country dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model for the Sudan. Additionally, we introduce yield variability into the CGE model based on stochastic projections of crop yields until 2050. The results of the model simulations reveal that, while the projected mean climate changes bring some good news for the Sudan, extreme negative variability costs the Sudan cumulatively between 2018 and 2050 US$ 109.5 billion in total absorption and US$ 105.5 billion in GDP relative to a historical mean climate scenario without climate change.

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Siddig, Khalid; Stepanyan, Davit; Wiebelt, Manfred; Zhu, Tingju; and Grethe, Harald. 2018. Climate change and agriculture in the Sudan: Impact pathways beyond changes in mean rainfall and temperature. MENA RP Working Paper 13. Washington, DC and Cairo, Egypt: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/132833

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/101350

Solutions

Risk and variability

Research guide for water-energy-food nexus analysis

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeOther

Subjects

Energy
Food systems

Languageen

Authors

Ringler, Claudia
Mondal, Md. Hossain Alam
Paulos, Helen Berga
Mirzabaev, Alisher
Breisinger, Clemens
Wiebelt, Manfred
Siddig, Khalid
Villamor, Grace
Zhu, Tingju
Bryan, Elisabeth

The project titled “The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Global, Basin and Local Case Studies of Resource Use Efficiency under Growing Natural Resource Scarcity“ (2015-2018), which was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, and was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. The project set out to develop research methodologies and insights globally as well as for the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Organization (ENTRO) of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to support efforts for enhanced water, energy and food security and environmental sustainability. The toolkit describes both qualitative and quantitative methods that have been used in the research project. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of information and tools related to the analysis of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus. The overall focus of the tools has been on economic analysis of the linkages across water, energy and food--to complement other studies and method developments that focus on biophysical linkages across the WEF nexus. The toolkit is aimed, primarily, at researchers interested in the analysis of the water, energy and food nexus. However, the studies summarized here also provide insights for practitioners implementing Nexus projects.

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Ringler, Claudia; Mondal, Md. Hossain Alam; Paulos, Helen Berga; Mirzabaev, Alisher; Breisinger, Clemens; Wiebelt, Manfred; Siddig, Khalid; Villamor, Grace; Zhu, Tingju; and Bryan, Elizabeth. 2018. Research guide for water-energy-food nexus analysis. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15738coll2/id/132991

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/101505

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Trade-offs and synergies

Flood pulsing in the Sudd Wetland: analysis of seasonal variations in inundation and evaporation in South Sudan

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Rebelo, Lisa-Maria
Senay, Gabriel B.
McCartney, Matthew P.

Located on the Bahr el Jebel in South Sudan, the Sudd is one of the largest floodplain wetlands in the world. Seasonal nundation drives thehydrologic, geomorphological, and ecological processes, and the annual flood pulse is essential to the functioning of the Sudd. Despite the importance of the flood pulse, various hydrological interventions are planned upstream of the Sudd to increase economic benefits and food security. These will not be without consequences, in particular for wetlands where the biological productivity, biodiversity, and human livelihoods are dependent on the flood pulse and both the costs and benefits need to be carefully evaluated. Many African countries still lack regional baseline information on the temporal extent, distribution, and characteristics of wetlands, making it hard to assess the consequences of development interventions. Because of political instability in Sudan and the inaccessible nature of the Sudd, recent measurements of flooding and seasonal dynamics are inadequate. Analyses of multitemporal and multisensor remote sensing datasets are presented in this paper, in order to investigate and characterize flood pulsing within the Sudd wetland over a 12-month period. Wetland area has been mapped along with dominant components of open water and flooded vegetation at five time periods over a single year. The total area of flooding (both rain and river fed) over the 12 months was 41 334 km2, with 9176 km2 of this constituting the permanent wetland. Mean annual total evaporation is shown to be higher and with narrower distribution of values from areas of open water (1718 mm) than from flooded vegetation (1641 mm). Although the exact figures require validation against ground-based measurements, the results highlight the relative differences in inundation patterns and evaporation across the Sudd.

Citation

Rebelo, Lisa-Maria; Senay, G. B.; McCartney, Matthew. 2012. Flood pulsing in the Sudd Wetland: analysis of seasonal variations in inundation and evaporation in South Sudan. Earth Interactions, 16(1):1-19. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2011EI382.1

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40385

Flood pulsing in the Sudd Wetland: analysis of seasonal variations in inundation and evaporation in South Sudan

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Subjects

Ecosystems
Floods
Hydrology/hydrogeology
Poverty/food security/livelihoods
Socio-economics

Languageen

Authors

Rebelo, Lisa-Maria
Senay, Gabriel B.
McCartney, Matthew P.

Located on the Bahr el Jebel in South Sudan, the Sudd is one of the largest floodplain wetlands in the world. Seasonal inundation drives the hydrologic, geomorphological, and ecological processes, and the annual flood pulse is essential to the functioning of the Sudd. Despite the importance of the flood pulse, various hydrological interventions are planned upstream of the Sudd to increase economic benefits and food security. These will not be without consequences, in particular for wetlands where the biological productivity, biodiversity, and human livelihoods are dependent on the flood pulse and both the costs and benefits need to be carefully evaluated. Many African countries still lack regional baseline information on the temporal extent, distribution, and characteristics of wetlands, making it hard to assess the consequences of development interventions. Because of political instability in Sudan and the inaccessible nature of the Sudd, recent measurements of flooding and seasonal dynamics are inadequate. Analyses of multitemporal and multisensor remote sensing datasets are presented in this paper, in order to investigate and characterize flood pulsing within the Sudd wetland over a 12-month period. Wetland area has been mapped along with dominant components of open water and flooded vegetation at five time periods over a single year. The total area of flooding (both rain and river fed) over the 12 months was 41 334 km2, with 9176 km2 of this constituting the permanent wetland. Mean annual total evaporation is shown to be higher and with narrower distribution of values from areas of open water (1718 mm) than from flooded vegetation (1641 mm). Although the exact figures require validation against ground-based measurements, the results highlight the relative differences in inundation patterns and evaporation across the Sudd.

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Research Themes

Variability, Risks and Competing Uses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34711

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Global and local genetic diversity at two microsatellite loci in Plasmodium vivax parasites from Asia, Africa and South America

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Schousboe, M.L.
Ranjitkar, S.
Rajakaruna, R.S.
Amerasinghe, Priyanie H.
Konradsen, Flemming
Morales, Francisco José
Ord, R.
Pearce, R.
Leslie, T.
Rowland, M.
Gadalla, N
Bygbjerg, C.
Alifrangis, M.
Roper, C.

Background: Even though Plasmodium vivax has the widest worldwide distribution of the human malaria species and imposes a serious impact on global public health, the investigation of genetic diversity in this species has been limited in comparison to Plasmodium falciparum. Markers of genetic diversity are vital to the evaluation of drug and vaccine efficacy, tracking of P. vivax outbreaks, and assessing geographical differentiation between parasite populations._x000D_ Methods: The genetic diversity of eight P. vivax populations (n = 543) was investigated by using two microsatellites (MS), m1501 and m3502, chosen because of their seven and eight base-pair (bp) repeat lengths, respectively. These were compared with published data of the same loci from six other P. vivax populations._x000D_ Results: In total, 1,440 P. vivax samples from 14 countries on three continents were compared. There was highest heterozygosity within Asian populations, where expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.92-0.98, and alleles with a high repeat number were more common. Pairwise FST revealed significant differentiation between most P. vivax populations, with the highest divergence found between Asian and South American populations, yet the majority of the diversity (~89%) was found to exist within rather than between populations._x000D_ Conclusions: The MS markers used were informative in both global and local P. vivax population comparisons and their seven and eight bp repeat length facilitated population comparison using data from independent studies. A complex spatial pattern of MS polymorphisms among global P. vivax populations was observed which has potential utility in future epidemiological studies of the P. vivax parasite.

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Schousboe, M. L.; Ranjitkar, S.; Rajakaruna, R. S.; Amerasinghe, Priyanie; Konradsen, F.; Morales, F.; Ord, R.; Pearce, R.; Leslie, T.; Rowland, M.; Gadalla, N; Bygbjerg, C.; Alifrangis, M.; Roper, C. 2014. Global and local genetic diversity at two microsatellite loci in Plasmodium vivax parasites from Asia, Africa and South America. Malaria Journal, 13:1-9. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-13-392

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/77529

Multiple origins of mutations in the mdr1 gene—a putative marker of chloroquine resistance in P. vivax

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Schousboe, M.L.
Ranjitkar, S.
Rajakaruna, R.S.
Amerasinghe, Priyanie H.
Morales, Francisco José
Pearce, R.
Ord, R.
Leslie, T.
Rowland, M.
Gadalla, N.B.
Konradsen, Flemming
Bygbjerg, C.
Roper, C.
Alifrangis, M.

Background Chloroquine combined with primaquine has been the ecommended antimalarial treatment of Plasmodium vivax malaria infections for six decades but the efficacy of this treatment regimen is threatened by chloroquine resistance (CQR). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the multidrug resistance gene, Pvmdr1 are putative determinants of CQR but the extent of their emergence at population level remains to be explored. Objective In this study we describe the prevalence of SNPs in the Pvmdr1 among samples collected in seven P. vivax endemic countries and we looked for molecular evidence of drug selection by characterising polymorphism at microsatellite (MS) loci flanking the Pvmdr1 gene. Methods We examined the prevalence of SNPs in the Pvmdr1 gene among 267 samples collected from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sudan, Sao Tome and Ecuador. We measured and diversity in four microsatellite (MS) markers flanking the Pvmdr1 gene to look evidence of selection on mutant alleles. Results SNP polymorphism in the Pvmdr1 gene was largely confined to codons T958M, Y976F and F1076L. Only 2.4% of samples were wildtype at all three codons (TYF, n = 5), 13.3% (n =28) of the samples were single mutant MYF, 63.0% of samples (n = 133) were double mutant MYL, and 21.3%(n = 45) were triple mutant MFL. Clear geographic differences in the prevalence of these Pvmdr mutation combinations were observed. Significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) between Pvmdr1 and MS alleles was found in populations sampled in Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka, while significant LD between Pvmdr1 and the combined 4 MS locus haplotype was only seen in Ecuador and Sri Lanka. When combining the 5 loci, high level diversity, measured as expected heterozygosity (He), was seen in the complete sample set (He = 0.99), while He estimates for individual loci ranged from 0.00–0.93. Although Pvmdr1 haplotypes were not consistently associated with specific flanking MS alleles, there was significant differentiation between geographic sites which could indicate directional selection through local drug pressure. Conclusions Our observations suggest that Pvmdr1 mutations emerged independently on multiple occasions even within the same population. In Sri Lanka population analysis at multiple sites showed evidence of local selection and geographical dispersal of Pvmdr1 mutations between sites.

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Schousboe, M. L.; Ranjitkar, S.; Rajakaruna, R. S.; Amerasinghe, Priyanie H.; Morales, F.; Pearce, R.; Ord, R.; Leslie, T.; Rowland, M.; Gadalla, N. B.; Konradsen, F.; Bygbjerg, C.; Roper, C.; Alifrangis, M. 2015. Multiple origins of mutations in the mdr1 gene—a putative marker of chloroquine resistance in P. vivax. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 9(11):1-17. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0004196

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Variability, Risks and Competing Uses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/69468

Modelling the inundation and morphology of the seasonally flooded Mayas Wetlands in the Dinder National Park-Sudan

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:02:41 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Hassaballah, K.
Mohamed, Y.
Omer, A.
Uhlenbrook, Stefan

Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of surface water in varied, remote and inaccessible isolated floodplain lakes is difficult. Seasonal inundation patterns of these isolated lakes can be misestimated in a hydrodynamic model due to the short time of connectivity. The seasonal and annual variability of the Dinder River flow has great impact on what is so called Mayas wetlands, and hence, on the habitats and the ecological status of the Dinder National Park. This variability produces large morphological changes due to sediment transported within the river or from the upper catchment, which affects inflows to Mayas wetlands and floodplain inundation in general. In this paper, we investigated the morphological dimension using a quasi-3D modelling approach to support the management of the valuable Mayas wetlands ecosystems, and in particular, assessment of hydrological and morphological regime of the Dinder River as well as the Musa Maya. Six scenarios were developed and tested. The first three scenarios consider three different hydrologic conditions of average, wet and dry years under the existing system with the constructed connection canal. While the other three scenarios consider the same hydrologic conditions but under the natural system without an artificial connection canal. The modelling helps to understand the effect of human intervention (connection canal) on the Musa Maya. The comparison between the simulated scenarios concludes that the hydrodynamics and sedimentology of the Maya are driven by the two main factors: a) the hydrological variability of Dinder River; and b) deposited sediment plugs in the connection canal.

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Hassaballah, K.; Mohamed, Y.; Omer, A.; Uhlenbrook, Stefan. 2020. Modelling the inundation and morphology of the seasonally flooded Mayas Wetlands in the Dinder National Park-Sudan. Environmental Processes, 7(3):723-747. [doi: 10.1007/s40710-020-00444-5]

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Variability, Risks and Competing Uses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/108935