Surface Albedo and Water Resources: Hydroclimatological Impact of Human Activities

Budyko's hydroclimatological model of a coupled land surface–atmosphere system is used to assess changes in climate and water resources that may be related to changes in land use and surface albedo. Changes in land use may lead to changes in surface albedo. In turn, changes in surface albedo are linked to climatic changes at the various atmospheric spatial scales. Climatic changes affect water resources, i.e., rainfall amounts, rainfall patterns, runoff amounts, and runoff coefficients. Mean annual precipitation is separated across the climatic spectrum, from hyperarid to hyperhumid regions, into (1) runoff; (2) nonrecyclable evaporation; and (3) recyclable evaporation. A set of water balance coefficients is developed to assess the hydroclimatological impact of human activities.