Climate variability, land cover change and soil erosion risk implications for water quality of a humid tropical river basin in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Abstract Climate variability land cover/use and soil erosion risk are important contributors to surface water quality. In this work, their implications for surface water quality of a humid tropical river in sub-Saharan Africa (the Ikpa River Basin) was assessed. The results revealed that rainfall is the most important climatic parameter to assess the climate variability trend in the region and the most important contributor to surface water quality. The region has tended to record colder weather regimes in recent years. The soil erosion risk assessment revealed that because of land cover change, between 1986 and 2018, more than half of the area with high erosion risk potential was experiencing high actual erosion risk. This has contributed to the poor quality of surface water in the basin.