Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest
The changes in the climate will cause changes in temperature, precipitation, hydrology, forests, wildfires, and sea levels
Forested watershed
Forested watershed
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Climate Impacts in Brief
The combined effects of climate change and climate variability in the Pacific Northwest are expected to result in a wide range of impacts for the region’s communities, economy, and natural systems. These include projected changes in water resources, forests, species and ecosystems, oceans and coasts, infrastructure, agriculture, and human health.
Third National Climate Assessment Northwest Highlights
Changes in the timing of streamflow reduce water supplies for competing demands. Sea level rise, erosion, inundation, risks to infrastructure, and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire, insect outbreaks, and tree diseases are causing widespread tree die-off.
Climate Change and Mitigation in Colorado
Through this webinar, we explore the projections for Colorado’s water future, state-level policy initiatives that aim to mitigate climate change, and mitigation work from water providers and wastewater operators.
Climate Change in Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation
he Climate Change in Colorado report (Lukas et al. 2014) is a synthesis of climate science relevant for management and planning for Colorado’s water resources. It focuses on observed climate trends, climate modeling, and projections of temperature, precipitation, snowpack, and streamflow.
Gunnison Basin Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the Gunnison Climate Working Group
This report summarizes the results of a landscape-scale climate change vulnerability assessment of the Upper Gunnison Basin (above Blue Mesa Reservoir; referred to as Gunnison Basin in this report) to determine the relative vulnerability of 24 ecosystems and 73 species of conservation concern, using methods developed by Manomet Center for Conservation Science and NatureServe.
Climate Change in Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation
The Colorado Climate Report is a synthesis of climate change science important for Colorado’s
water supply. It focuses on observed trends, modeling, and projections of temperature, precipitation, snowmelt,
and runoff. The report summarizes Colorado-specific findings from peer-reviewed regional studies, and presents
new graphics derived from existing datasets. The following are highlights from the Report.
Finding Water in a Warming World
The article focuses on the changing availability of water in Colorado due to climate change.
Wet and wet-mesic prairies are moderately vulnerable to climate change. These ecosystems are tolerant of a broad range of climatic conditions. Altered seasonal precipitation and the resulting hydrologic responses pose the greatest climate-related threats.
Wet prairie is moderately vulnerable to climate change (when evaluated in low to high climate change emissions scenarios). Wet Prairies may be most vulnerable to changes in hydrology, increasing non-native invasive species, and invading brush. Changes to surface water hydrology are likely to occur with climate alterations to the hydrologic cycle. Thus leading to projected increases in droughts as well as the frequency and intensity of flood events.
Mesic Prairie is highly vulnerable to climate change. Maintained by periodic fire, this system may have less capacity to adapt to climate change due to their extreme rarity and small and isolated nature that limit options to rearrange and migrate.
Mesic Prairie is highly vulnerable to climate change (when evaluated in low to high climate change emissions scenarios). Mesic Prairie ecosystem occurs where soil depth and annual precipitation (and periodic fire) are primary drivers of prairie development and maintenance. Of all the prairie types, mesic prairie is considered to be the most vulnerable to climate change due to a combination of negative climate-related impacts and the small and isolated nature of remnants that confine and reduce opportunity to rearrange and migrate as a means to accommodate stressors.