Vulnerability of Oases in Hyper-Arid Areas in The Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa to Climate Change

Abstract

Open Access Abstract The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL), also known as the "Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems" is a landmark study by 107 experts from 52 countries. The SRCCL provided a comprehensive overview of the entire land-climate system for the first time and decided to enlist land as a "critical resource." On Wednesday, August 7, 2019, in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPCC's 50th session (IPCC-50) adopted the SRCCL's Summary for policymakers (SPM) and approved the report. The report is the second of three Special Reports in the current Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) cycle, which began in 2015 and will be completed in 2022. The third chapter of the special report deals with the relationship between desertification and potential climate change. It reviews research on desertification-affected oases and the impact of climate change in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Tunisia. This review paper discusses oases in hyper-arid climates as affected by climate change. Emphasis has been lent to the Siwa Oasis as an example of the areas impacted by climate change in Egypt. Concluding remarks and recommendations have also been provided to tackle climate change in affected oases. Hussein, I.S. , and Ali, A.M. 1. Division of Ecology and Dry Land Agriculture, Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt 2. Division of Water Resources and Desert Soils, Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt The National Committee of Soil Science, Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt. Article