Download or read book Hydrologic Sensitivities of Western U S Rivers to Climate Change written by Julie A. Vano and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the climate continues to change, increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation will lead to fundamental changes in the seasonal distribution of streamflow, especially in the western United States where snowmelt plays a key role. These changes will inevitably lead to challenges for water resource managers. There is, however, considerable uncertainty as to the character of these hydrologic changes, especially at local and regional scales (102 - 105 km2). My research aims to better understand how climate influences hydrologic processes, with a particular focus on variations in runoff sensitivities to changes in precipitation and temperature, and the use of this information in water management. Using land surface model simulations, I explore the sensitivity of runoff to changes in precipitation (defined as precipitation elasticities, E, the fractional change in runoff divided by the fractional change in precipitation), changes in temperature (defined as temperature sensitivities, S, percent change in runoff per degree change in temperature) and to the combined effect of temperature and precipitation changes. The character of these sensitivities varies considerably depending on how the land surface is simulated (e.g., type of land surface model), the particulars of the location (e.g., elevation, vegetation, soil types), and the season in which changes in temperature and precipitation occur. I explore these variations through hydrologic model experiments in the Colorado and Columbia River basins - two basins which can be considered end points of hydroclimatic variability in the West, and which also have diverse management concerns as existing reservoir storage in these systems varies strongly. The total storage relative to annual inflow ratio of over four in the Colorado River, results in a management focus on total (annual) magnitudes in streamflow, whereas this ratio is about 0.3 in the Columbia River and hence changes in the seasonal distribution of streamflow is the primary driver there. Within this body of work, I use the nature of these hydrologic sensitivities (e.g., spatial and temporal variability, superposition, and the linearity of their underlying functions) to develop two complementary methodologies that can be applied to generate viable first-order estimates of future change for long-term (e.g., 30-year) annual change (applied in the Colorado River basin) and seasonal change (applied in the Pacific Northwest). My results show that these sensitivity-based estimation approaches to future change compare well with the more common, computationally intensive full-simulation approaches that force a hydrologic model with downscaled future climate scenarios. These methods can be applied to newly released climate information to easily assess underlying drivers of change and to bound, at least approximately, the range of future streamflow uncertainties for water resource planners.
Download or read book Atmospheric Rivers written by F. Martin Ralph and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-07-10 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the standard reference based on roughly 20 years of research on atmospheric rivers, emphasizing progress made on key research and applications questions and remaining knowledge gaps. The book presents the history of atmospheric-rivers research, the current state of scientific knowledge, tools, and policy-relevant (science-informed) problems that lend themselves to real-world application of the research—and how the topic fits into larger national and global contexts. This book is written by a global team of authors who have conducted and published the majority of critical research on atmospheric rivers over the past years. The book is intended to benefit practitioners in the fields of meteorology, hydrology and related disciplines, including students as well as senior researchers.
Download or read book Colorado River Basin Water Management written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-06-30 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent studies of past climate and streamflow conditions have broadened understanding of long-term water availability in the Colorado River, revealing many periods when streamflow was lower than at any time in the past 100 years of recorded flows. That information, along with two important trends-a rapid increase in urban populations in the West and significant climate warming in the region-will require that water managers prepare for possible reductions in water supplies that cannot be fully averted through traditional means. Colorado River Basin Water Management assesses existing scientific information, including temperature and streamflow records, tree-ring based reconstructions, and climate model projections, and how it relates to Colorado River water supplies and demands, water management, and drought preparedness. The book concludes that successful adjustments to new conditions will entail strong and sustained cooperation among the seven Colorado River basin states and recommends conducting a comprehensive basinwide study of urban water practices that can be used to help improve planning for future droughts and water shortages.
Download or read book Potential Effects of Climate Change on Streamflow Eastern and Western Slopes of the Sierra Nevada California and Nevada written by Anne E Jeton and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1991-02-01 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of whether the earth's climate is changing in some significant human-induced way remains a matter of much debate. But the fact that climate is variable over time is well known. These two elements of climatic uncertainty affect water resources planning and management in the American West. Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty examines the scientific basis for predictions of climate change, the implications of climate uncertainty for water resources management, and the management options available for responding to climate variability and potential climate change.
Download or read book An Investigation of the Hydrologic Sensitivities to Climate written by Kenneth L. Brettmann and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Change and Water Resources Management written by Levi D. Brekke and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-11 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many challenges, including climate change, face the Nation¿s water managers. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided estimates of how climate may change, but more understanding of the processes driving the changes, the sequences of the changes, and the manifestation of these global changes at different scales could be beneficial. Since the changes will likely affect fundamental drivers of the hydrological cycle, climate change may have a large impact on water resources and water resources managers. The purpose of this interagency report is to explore strategies to improve water management by tracking, anticipating, and responding to climate change. Charts and tables.
Download or read book Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change written by J. A. A. Jones and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1996 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1. Predicting the Hydrological Effects of Climate Change.- Section I Sensitivity of the Global Hydrosphere Section Summary.- 2. An Introduction to Global Water Dynamics.- 3. Modelling the Biospheric Aspects of the Hydrological Cycle: Upscaling Processes and Downscaling Weather Data.- 4. Trends in Historical Steamflow Records.- Section II Regional Implications of Global Warming Section Summary.- 5. Hydrology of Northern North America under Global Warming.- 6. Current Evidence on the Likely Impact of Global Warming on Hydrological Regimes in Europe.- 7. The Impact of Climatic Warming on Hydrological Regimes in China: An Overview.- Section III Precipitation Change and Variability Section Summary.- 8. The Influence of Topography, Season and Circulation on Spatial Patterns of Daily Precipitation.- 9. Use of Artificial Neural Networks in Precipitation Forecasting.- 10. Generation of Sequences of Air Temperature and Precipitation for Estimation of the Hydrological Cycle in Changing Climatic Conditions in Poland.- 11. Some Aspects of Climatic Fluctuation at Four Stations on the Tibetan Plateau during the Last 40 Years.- 12. The Influences of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the El Niño/Southern Oscillation and the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation on Winter Precipitation in Ireland.- Section IV Impacts on Snow, Ice and Meltwaters Section Summary.- 13. Runoff Formation and Discharge Modelling of a Glacierized Basin in the Tianshan Mountains.- 14. Impact of Future Climate Change on Glacier Runoff and the Possibilities for Artificially Increasing Melt Water Runoff in the Aral Sea Basin.- 15. Glaciers and Snowcover in Central Asia as Indicators of Climate Change in the Earth-Ocean-Atmosphere System.- 16. Global Warming and the Trend toward Dryness in the Frigid High Mountains and Plateau of Western China.- Section V The Water Balance and Changing Regional Resources Section Summary.- 17. A Method to Assess the Effects of Climatic Warming on the Water Balance of Mountainous Regions.- 18. Sensitivity Analyses for the Impact of Global Warming on Water Resources in Wales.- 19. Potential Hydrological Responses to Climate Change in Australia.- 20. Dynamics of Stage Fluctuation in Yangzhouyongcuo Lake, Tibetan Plateau.- 21. Derivation of Surface Temperature, Albedo, and Radiative Fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau Based on Satellite Measurement.- 22. Climatic Warming and its Impact on the Water Resources of the Yalong River, China.- 23. The Probable Impact of Global Change on the Water Resources of Patagonia, Argentina.- 24. Long Term Trends in the Water Balance of Central Japan.- Conclusions.- 25. The Impact of Global Warming on Regional Hydrology and Future Research Priorities.
Download or read book The West without Water written by B. Lynn Ingram and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The West without Water documents the tumultuous climate of the American West over twenty millennia, with tales of past droughts and deluges and predictions about the impacts of future climate change on water resources. Looking at the region’s current water crisis from the perspective of its climate history, the authors ask the central question of what is "normal" climate for the West, and whether the relatively benign climate of the past century will continue into the future. The West without Water merges climate and paleoclimate research from a wide variety of sources as it introduces readers to key discoveries in cracking the secrets of the region’s climatic past. It demonstrates that extended droughts and catastrophic floods have plagued the West with regularity over the past two millennia and recounts the most disastrous flood in the history of California and the West, which occurred in 1861–62. The authors show that, while the West may have temporarily buffered itself from such harsh climatic swings by creating artificial environments and human landscapes, our modern civilization may be ill-prepared for the future climate changes that are predicted to beset the region. They warn that it is time to face the realities of the past and prepare for a future in which fresh water may be less reliable.
Download or read book The Colorado River Basin and Climatic Change written by Linda L. Nash and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Water Climate Western U S written by W Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2003-05-05 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water and Climate in the Western United States highlights the opportunity for and necessity of change in management of water, the West's most crucial resource. As old policies and institutions fail to meet changing demands for and availability of w
Download or read book Hydrologic and Climatic Data Bases Used to Assess Potential Effects of Climate Change on Water Resources of American River Carson River and Truckee River Basins California Nevada and of Gunnison River Basin Colorado written by and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Downriver written by Heather Hansman and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Green River, the most significant tributary of the Colorado River, runs 730 miles from the glaciers of Wyoming to the desert canyons of Utah. Providing water for thirty-three million people, it flows through ranches, cities, national parks, and some of the most significant natural gas fields in the country. Stopped up by dams, slaked off by irrigation, and dried up by cities, the Green is crucial, overused, and at risk, now more than ever. Fights over the river's water, and what's going to happen to it in the future, are long-standing, intractable, and only getting worse as the West gets hotter and drier and more people depend on the river with each passing year. Former raft guide and environmental reporter Heather Hansman knew the issues but felt driven to see the situation firsthand and from a different perspective - from the river itself. So she set out on a journey, in a one-person inflatable pack raft and with an open mind, and see what the experience might teach her. Mixing lyrical accounts of quiet paddling through breathtaking beauty with nights spent camping solo and lively discussions with farmers, city officials, and other people met along the way, Downriver is the story of that journey, a foray into the present-and future- of water in the West. --
Download or read book Sensitivity of Large basin Hydrology Forecasts and Management to Historical Climatic Forcing written by Mary G. Mullusky and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hydrologic and Climatic Data Bases Used to Assess Potential Effects of Climate Change on Water Resources of American River Carson River and Truckee River Basins California Nevada and of Gunnison River Basin Colorado written by Marianne H. August and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Change written by Eileen Claussen and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is the greatest environmental challenge of the 21st Century. But what do we truly know about global climate change? And what can we do about it? Most of the world's top scientists agree that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities such as industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and land-use changes are causing the earth to get warmer. Impacts of this warming may include damage to our coastal areas, accelerated rates of species loss, altered agricultural patterns, and increased incidences of infectious diseases. The effects of climate change - and efforts to mitigate climate change - could also have substantial economic ramifications. The book presents the latest research and analysis from prominent scientists, economists, academics, and policy-makers, including: "Tom Wigley" and "Joel Smith," who, along with other authors of the Science and Impacts chapter, explain the basic science of climate change, the growing evidence that human activities are changing our climate, and the impacts of these changes; "Eileen Claussen," "John Gummer," "Henry Lee," and other authors of the Global Strategies chapter, who describe what nations are or are not doing to address climate change, and the state of international climate talks; "Robert Stavins," "John Weyant," "Ev Ehrlich," and other economists, who explain why economic analyses of climate policy are conducted, why the projected costs of addressing climate change vary so widely among economic models, and how changes driven by today's economy can influence climate policy; "Gov. Jean Shaheen" and other authors of the Innovative Solutions chapter, who describe what state and local governments in theUnited States and multinational companies are doing to monitor and curb greenhouse gas emissions; and "Forest Reinhardt," who offers business leaders advice on steering their companies on a path that is healthy for business as well as the global climate. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.
Download or read book Climate Change Science Strategies and Solutions written by Eileen Claussen and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2022-05-16 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is the greatest environmental challenge of the 21st Century. But what do we truly know about global climate change? And what can we do about it? Most of the world’s top scientists agree that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities such as industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and land-use changes are causing the earth to get warmer. Impacts of this warming may include damage to our coastal areas, accelerated rates of species loss, altered agricultural patterns, and increased incidences of infectious diseases. The effects of climate change — and efforts to mitigate climate change — could also have substantial economic ramifications. The book presents the latest research and analysis from prominent scientists, economists, academics, and policy-makers, including: Tom Wigley and Joel Smith, who, along with other authors of the Science and Impacts chapter, explain the basic science of climate change, the growing evidence that human activities are changing our climate, and the impacts of these changes; Eileen Claussen, John Gummer, Henry Lee, and other authors of the Global Strategies chapter, who describe what nations are or are not doing to address climate change, and the state of international climate talks; Robert Stavins, John Weyant, Ev Ehrlich, and other economists, who explain why economic analyses of climate policy are conducted, why the projected costs of addressing climate change vary so widely among economic models, and how changes driven by today’s economy can influence climate policy; Gov. Jean Shaheen and other authors of the Innovative Solutions chapter, who describe what state and local governments in the United States and multinational companies are doing to monitor and curb greenhouse gas emissions; and Forest Reinhardt, who offers business leaders advice on steering their companies on a path that is healthy for business as well as the global climate. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.
