• Water Resources

Water Sector Climate Science and Tools

This tab presents climate science and tools for understanding climate change impacts to the water sector and potential adaptation options. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by resource type, impact, region, state, or jurisdictional focus.

 

 

92 results are shown below.

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Resource

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Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP) 4.3: The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity

May 2008

This report is one in a series of 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products (SAPs) produced between 2004 and 2009, aimed at providing current assessments of climate change science in the U. S. to inform public debate, policy, and operational decisions. SAPs are being produced under the auspices of the U. S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), which coordinates the climate change research activities of U. S. government agencies. The lead sponsor of this particular assessment product is the U. S.

Authors or Affiliated Users: Peter Backlund, Anthony Janetos, David Schimel, J. Hatfield, K. Boote, P. Fay, L. Hahn, C. Izaurralde, B.A. Kimball, T. Mader, J. Morgan, D. Ort, W. Polley, A. Thomson, D. Wolfe, M.G. Ryan, S.R. Archer, R. Birdsey, C. Dahm, L. Heath, J. Hicke, D. Hollinger, T. Huxman, G. Okin, R. Oren, J. Randerson, W. Schlesinger, D. Lettenmaier, D. Major, L. Poff, S. Running, L. Hansen, D. Inouye, B.P. Kelly, L. Meyerson, B. Peterson, R. Shaw.

Resource Category: Assessments

 

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Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP) 4.5: Effects of Climate Change on Energy Production and Use in the United States

February 2008

This report is one in a series of 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products (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 SAP summarizes currently knowledge about direct and indirect effects of climate change on energy consumption, production, and supply in the U.S.

Authors or Affiliated Users: Thomas J. Wilbanks, Vatsal Bhatt, Daniel E. Bilello, Stanley R. Bull, James Ekmann, William C. Horak, Y. Joe Huang, Mark D. Levine, Michael J. Sale, David K. Schmalzer, Michael J. Scott

Resource Category: Assessments

 

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USGS Groundwater Resources Program

2008

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) GroundWater Resources Program (GWRP) supports applied research into the effects of climate variability on groundwater availability. The purpose of GWRP is to conduct and synthesize groundwater investigations on regional and national scales. 

Resource Category: Assessments

 

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Climate Change in Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation (2008)

2008

This report is a synthesis of climate change science that is important for evaluating impacts on Colorado's water resources. This document provides scientific analyses to support state and regional efforts to develop a water adaptation plan, while presenting scientific analyses on observed trends, modeling, and projections of hydro-climatic variables - including temperature, precipitation, snowmelt, and runoff. This analysis includes a record of Colorado climate that covers trends in temperature, precipitation, snow and stream flow; a section describing climate models, emissions scenarios, and downscaling; followed by climate attributions, projections, and implications for the state.

Authors or Affiliated Users: Andrea J. Ray, Joseph J. Barsugli, Kristen B. Averyt

Resource Category: Assessments

 

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Water Supply and Stress Index Model (WaSSI)

2008

WaSSI is a tool that models historical, current, and future watershed stress for a particular zip code by comparing water supply and demand. Planners can select which of two climate models to use (HadCM2SuL - warm & wet; or CGC1 - hot & dry) to assess possible effects on supply and stress created by climate change under these scenarios. WaSSI uses historical USGS or state water bureau data to estimate past demand; future demand and supply scenarios are based on modeled changes in land use, land management, population, and climate change.

Resource Category: Data and tools

 

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Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability - Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

2007

From the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II, this report summarizes the 2007 scientific understanding of the impacts of climate change on natural, managed, and human systems around the world, the capacity of these systems to adapt, and their vulnerability. It builds upon past IPCC assessments and incorporates new knowledge gained since the Third Assessment. Consistent with all IPCC reports, the WGII contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report is a comprehensive assessment of the peer-reviewed published literature and selected gray literature on climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability.

Authors or Affiliated Users: Martin L. Parry, Osvaldo F. Canziani, Jean P. Palutikof, Paul J. van der Linden, Clair E. Hanson

Resource Category: Assessments

 

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Estimating Future Costs for Alaska Public Infrastructure at Risk from Climate Change

June 2007

The Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage created a model to estimate how much climate change could add to the costs of maintaining public infrastructure in Alaska in the near future (by 2030). This report describes how that model was developed, and presents preliminary estimates of additional public infrastructure costs resulting from climate change. The report concludes that a changing climate could make it 10 to 20 percent more expensive to build and maintain infrastructure, and that climate change induced damages could add $3.

Authors or Affiliated Users: Peter Larsen, Scott Goldsmith, Orson Smith, Meghan Wilson, Ken Strzepek, Paul Chinowsky, Ben Saylor

Resource Category: Assessments

 

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Using Climate Forecasts for Drought Management

January 2006

This report synthesizes a 4-year study of the use of the climate forecasts for drought management in the state of Georgia. The study investigates the needs and potential benefits of seasonal forecast information for water management. It provides a method for translating NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) seasonal precipitation outlooks into a forecast precipitation index (FPI) that is tailored for water managers in the southeastern United States. This case study is also beneficial, as it represents the integration of climate forecasts into decision-making procedures for a public agency, and provides the economic valuation of that forecast information.

Author or Affiliated User: Anne C. Steinemann

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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AgroClimate (SECC)

AgroClimate is an interactive website developed by the Southeast Climate Consortium (SECC) for use by farmers, ranchers, foresters, water resource managers, and those who advise them. The site uses crop simulation models and historic and forecast climate data to allow decision makers to compare changes in probable outcomes under different climate conditions.

Resource Category: Data and tools

 

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TreeFlow

TreeFlow is an online resource for tree-ring reconstructions of stream flow and climate. By providing a longer window into the past, tree-ring reconstructions describe the natural variability of climate (precipitation, drought) more completely than gaged records. While projected changes in precipitation may be uncertain in some area, projections for temperature changes due to climate change are highly useful and relevant when added to the range of natural flow variability seen in the reconstructions.

Resource Category: Data and tools

 

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