Patterns displayed by climate forcings and hydrologic responses may be overlooked at a local scale and the co-variation of precipitation, temperature and other atmospheric conditions may not be evident until viewed from a regional spatial scale. The appraisal and management of the Nation's water resources requires the extraction of as much order and predictability from hydro-climate data as possible and thus requires a regional perspective.
Temporal climate variations result from a wide range of physical,
chemical, and biological processes, including chaotic or near-chaotic
fluid dynamics, complex radiative and thermodynamic processes,
tropical/extra-tropical interactions, ocean-air interactions, and the
responses of terrestrial ecosystems to atmospheric influences.
Understanding the Nation's hydro-climate, water resources, and
water-related hazards requires improved understanding and integration
of these processes and interactions into interpretations and
procedures. The primary objectives of this project are to identify (1)
climatologically induced relations within the Nation's hydrologic and
water resources system, (2) recurring hydro-climatological patterns
and climatologically imposed limits on hydrologic and water resources
systems, (3) conditions leading to climatological extremes and
resultant hydrologic hazards, and (4) regional and global climatic
precursors of hydrologic events and hazards.
