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Climate Change Impacts on Water Management and Irrigated Agriculture in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA
2009
Utilizing a multi-model ensemble approach of downscaled climate model projections, hydrologic modeling, and water management models, this report presents results for changes in reservoir levels and snow pack in the Yakima River basin and resulting impacts to irrigated agriculture in the basin. The paper presents the analysis of hydrological conditions and how climate change is projected to impact water supply for water users with junior water rights and - in the extreme years - users with senior water rights throughout the basin.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Julie A. Vano, Michael Scott, Nathalie Voisin, Claudio O. Stockle, Alan F. Hamlet, Kristian E. B. Mickelson, Marketa McGuire Elsner, Dennis P. Lettenmaier
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Climate Change Impacts on Water Management in the Puget Sound Region, Washington, USA
2009
This report presents historical observations and reliability analyses for planning by water utilities in the Puget Sound basin cities of Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma. By comparing changes in streamflow and snowpack and forecasting hydrological changes, this paper reviews the potential of the region's water supply systems to meet future demands. Each of the three water supply systems were analyzed, and water management models for each city are described. The models are then used to explore - without adaptations - the climate resiliency of the three systems over the next century, and the projected changes in water demand.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Julie A. Vano, Nathalie Voisin, Lan Cuo, Alan F. Hamlet, Marketa McGuire Elsner, Richard N. Palmer, Austin Polebitski, Dennis P. Lettenmaier
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An Analysis of Climate Change Impacts and Options Relevant to Legal and Policy Issues at the Department of the Interior (DOI)
2008
In March 2007, former Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne established the Department of the Interior's Climate Change Task Force. Three subcommittees were formed to undertake this assignment. This Draft report was issued by the Law & Policy Subcommittee to identify the legal and policy issues facing the DOI and to suggest possible options for addressing them.
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Economic and Environmental Costs of Climate Change: State Case Studies
This site provides PDF files of individual state case studies pertaining to the economic and environmental costs of climate change. The studies were prepared by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) at the University of Maryland. The reports summarize climatic changes affecting 12 states, their potential fiscal impact, and the effect that future changes in climate may have on state economies. The research highlights the importance of planning for the possible effects of climate change on state natural and economic resources and explores options for reducing these effects.
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Preparing for Climate Change in the Rogue River Basin of Southwest Oregon
December 8, 2008
This report presents the projected impacts of climate change on the Rogue River Basin of southwest Oregon. A panel of scientists and policy experts recommend strategies for building resistance and resilience to climate change for natural, human, built and economic systems in the region.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Bob Doppelt, Roger Hamilton, Marni Koopman, Cindy Deacon Williams
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A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Biodiversity in New Mexico
December 4, 2008
The New Mexico Climate Change Adaptation Project of the Nature Conservancy produced this vulnerability assessment in two parts: Part I - "Implications of Recent Climate Change on Conservation Priorities in New Mexico" and Part II - "Conservation Implications of Emerging Moisture Stress due to Recent Climate Changes in New Mexico." Part one is a state-wide assessment of the climate change vulnerability of priority habitats and wildlife species.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Carolyn A. F. Enquist, David F. Gori
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The Status of the Coral Reef Ecosystems of Guam
December 2008
This report provides an assessment of the status of the coral reef ecosystems of Guam between 2004 and 2007. The findings of various monitoring activities, assessments, and stand-alone investigations conducted by local and federal agencies, educational/research institutions, and government contractors since 2004 were synthesized to obtain an updated, holistic view of the status of Guam’s reefs. Climate change is addressed as a significant factor in the decline of the coral reef in Guam. 'Climate Change, Coral Bleaching, and Ocean Acidification' is a sub-section of the report explaining that coral bleaching is an emerging threat, and will likely grow more severe with increasing sea surface temperatures associated with global climate change.
Authors or Affiliated Users: D. Burdick, V. Brown, J. Asher, C. Caballes, M. Gawel, L. Goldman, A. Hall, J. Kenyon, T. Leberer, E. Lundblad, J. McIlwain, J. Miller, D. Minton, M. Nadon, N. Pioppi, L. Raymundo, B. Richards, R. Schroeder, P. Schupp, E. Smith, B. Zgliczynski
Resource Category: Assessments
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Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP) 3.4: Abrupt Climate Change
December 2008
This report is one in a series of 21 SAPs produced between 2004 and 2009 by the U. S. Climate Change Science Program, aimed at providing current assessments of climate change science in the U. S. to inform public debate, policy, and operational decisions. This report considers progress in understanding four abrupt changes in the paleoclimatic record whose impacts are so rapid and large that they would pose clear risks to society if they were to recur: 1) rapid change in glaciers, ice sheets, and hence sea level; 2) widespread and sustained changes to the hydrologic cycle; 3) abrupt change in the northward flow of warm, salty water in the upper layers of the Atlantic Ocean associated with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and southward flow of cold water in the deep Atlantic; and 4) rapid release to the atmosphere of methane trapped in permafrost and on continental margins.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Peter U. Clark, Andrew J. Weaver, Edward Brook, Edward R. Cook, Thomas L. Delworth, Konrad Steffen
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Air Quality Planning and California's Changing Climate
November 2008
California is home to some of the worst air quality in the country, and climate change will likely make it more difficult to meet health-based air quality standards. This report recommends that air quality planning agencies take steps to understand how climate change could affect air quality improvement efforts, and attainment of the federal 8-hour ozone standard.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Robina Shaheen, Louise Bedsworth
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California Climate Risk and Response
November 2008
This report provides a comprehensive examination of the economic impacts of climate change and adaptation in California. This multi-sector study from researchers at the University of California, Berkeley compiles the most recent available science on climate change impacts in the state, assesses the economic implications, and examines strategies for adaptation.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Michael McCormick, Fredrich Kahrl, David Roland-Holst
Resource Category: Assessments
