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Improving Groundwater Supply Forecasting in the Southwestern U.S.

Multi-Criteria Sensitivity Analysis of the Vulnerability of Hydrologic Systems to Climate Variability and Change in the Southwestern U.S.

Dates

Start Date
2012-09-19
End Date
2013
Release Date
2012

Summary

Changing climate conditions have been identified as a major threat to the sustainability and availability of water resources in the Southwestern U.S. Long-term decreases in precipitation can lead to reductions in regional groundwater levels and loss of groundwater storage in aquifers for some communities. Reduced precipitation can also lead to lower water levels in streams and losses in the vegetation that grows alongside riverbanks. The goal of this project was to identify how hydrologic systems in the Southwest might respond to changes in climate and the degree to which this response is dependent on the characteristics of the hydrologic system. To do this, researchers developed a tool that simulates how quickly water moves from [...]

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SanPedroRiver_AZ_BLM.jpg
“San Pedro River, AZ - Credit: BLM”
thumbnail 847.53 KB image/jpeg

Purpose

The potential consequences of climate variability and climate change have been identified as major issues for the sustainability and availability of water resources in the United States. Long-term decreases in precipitation will result in lowered regional groundwater levels, loss of groundwater storage for communities, stream flow depletion, and loss of riparian (near-river) vegetation. This project will examine how hydrologic systems in the Southwestern U.S. respond to climate changes and how this response depends both on the frequency of the changes and the properties of the system. Existing hydrologic models of the Upper San Pedro Basin and the Upper and Middle Verde watersheds will be used with global climate models to simulate and project causes and impacts of climate change. An improved understanding of the vulnerability of hydrologic and riparian areas to future climate will inform managers about which systems may be most sensitive to trends and periodic variations in climate.

Project Extension

projectStatusCompleted

Budget Extension

annualBudgets
year2012
totalFunds86401.0
year2013
totalFunds93627.0
year2014
totalFunds20000.0
totalFunds200028.0

San Pedro River, AZ - Credit: BLM
San Pedro River, AZ - Credit: BLM

Map

Spatial Services

ScienceBase WMS

Communities

  • National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers
  • Southwest CASC

Associated Items

Tags

Categories
SWCSC Taxon
SWCSC Habitat Types
SWCSC Geographic Area
SWCSC States
SWCSC Funding Category
Community
Organization
Fiscal Year
Science Themes
Water, Coasts and Ice
CMS Themes
CMS Topics
CMS Status
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Additional Information

Expando Extension

object
agendas
themes
number1
nameStakeholder Information Needs
options
atrue
ctrue
number2
nameFiscal Year 13 Project Priorities
options
btrue
ctrue
number3
nameFiscal Year 14 Project Priorities
options
ctrue
number4
nameSW CSC Research Theme
options
btrue
number5
nameTraditional Ecological Knowledge
options
nameSouthwest CSC Agenda
descriptionSouthwest CSC Agenda

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