WATER CONSUMPTION VARIABILITY FOR MAJOR CROPS IN EGYPT UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE CONDITIONS.

Egypt appears to be particularly vulnerable to climate change especially with water scarcity problem. Climate change not only affects the spatial and temporal distribution of water resources, but also will increase the crop evapotranspiration. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of climate change on water consumptive use for six main major crops in Egypt (rice, summer potato, summer tomato, wheat, winter potato, and winter tomato). The climate change data has been developed from downscaling of global climate model ECHAM6 of scenario RCP. 4.5 by a horizontal resolution 50 km during the period from 2010 up to 2090, and the water consumption has been assessing at the governorates that have largest areas of determined crops distributed in different geographic regions. The obtained results indicate that, climate change conditions expected to increase water consumption for all examined regions in Egypt, and the most effect will be in Upper Egypt and specific areas in Lower Egypt region. The results also indicated to extreme increment [decrement] will effect during 2070 and 2080 [2050 and 2060] decades in Dakahlia [Aswan and Minya] governorates. Also the study concluded that, the impact of climate change on water consumption is limited and acceptable up to 2040 for the studied crops among the determined governorates and it not excessed 5% than its current, however, after this period the rate of increment transit to higher level, and sharp extreme effects appeared in some regions.