Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change

Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change
Author: United States Department of Agriculture
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2015-06-26
Genre:
ISBN: 9781508690832

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Existing models and predictions project serious changes to worldwide hydrologic processes as a result of global climate change. Projections indicate that significant change may threaten National Forest System watersheds that are an important source of water used to support people, economies, and ecosystems.

Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change

Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change
Author: Michael J. Furniss
Publisher:
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2013-09-06
Genre:
ISBN: 9781457848094

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Existing models and predictions project serious changes to worldwide hydrologic processes as a result of global climate change. Significant change may threaten National Forest System watersheds that are an important source of water used to support people, economies, and ecosystems. Because watersheds differ greatly in: (1) the values they support, (2) their exposure to climatic changes, and (3) their sensitivity to climatic changes, understanding these differences will help inform the setting of priorities and selection of management approaches. Eleven national forests from throughout the U.S., representing each of the nine Forest Service regions, conducted assessments of potential hydrologic change resulting from ongoing and expected climate warming. The assessments provided management recommendations to anticipate and respond to projected climate-hydrologic changes. All assessments identified priority areas and management actions to maintain or improve watershed resilience in response to a changing climate. The pilot efforts also identified key principles important to conducting future vulnerability assessments. Figures. This is a print on demand report.

Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change

Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change
Author: Michael J. Furniss
Publisher:
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2013-09-06
Genre:
ISBN: 9781457848094

Download Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Existing models and predictions project serious changes to worldwide hydrologic processes as a result of global climate change. Significant change may threaten National Forest System watersheds that are an important source of water used to support people, economies, and ecosystems. Because watersheds differ greatly in: (1) the values they support, (2) their exposure to climatic changes, and (3) their sensitivity to climatic changes, understanding these differences will help inform the setting of priorities and selection of management approaches. Eleven national forests from throughout the U.S., representing each of the nine Forest Service regions, conducted assessments of potential hydrologic change resulting from ongoing and expected climate warming. The assessments provided management recommendations to anticipate and respond to projected climate-hydrologic changes. All assessments identified priority areas and management actions to maintain or improve watershed resilience in response to a changing climate. The pilot efforts also identified key principles important to conducting future vulnerability assessments. Figures. This is a print on demand report.

Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change Assessed by Neural Network and Analytical Hierarchy Process

Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change Assessed by Neural Network and Analytical Hierarchy Process
Author: Uttam Roy
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2015-12-28
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9812873449

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The increase in GHG gases in the atmosphere due to expansions in industrial and vehicular concentration is attributed to warming of the climate world wide. The resultant change in climatic pattern can induce abnormalities in the hydrological cycle. As a result, the regular functionality of river watersheds will also be affected. This Brief highlights a new methodology to rank the watersheds in terms of its vulnerability to change in climate. This Brief introduces a Vulnerability Index which will be directly proportional to the climatic impacts of the watersheds. Analytical Hierarchy Process and Artificial Neural Networks are used in a cascading manner to develop the model for prediction of the vulnerability index.

Assessment of Watershed Vulnerability to Climate Change for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests, Utah

Assessment of Watershed Vulnerability to Climate Change for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests, Utah
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 111
Release: 2017
Genre:
ISBN:

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Watersheds on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests provide many ecosystem services, and climate change poses a risk to these services. We developed a watershed vulnerability assessment to provide scientific information for land managers facing the challenge of managing these watersheds. Literature-based information and expert elicitation is used to define components of watershed sensitivity and exposure to climate change. We also define the capacity of watershed function, habitats, and biota to adapt to the expected changes. Watershed vulnerability is scored high for the Wasatch Mountain Range and moderate to high for the Uinta Mountains. These watersheds are driven by a snow-dominated hydrologic regime, and they have a high sensitivity to the projected increases in drought, heat, and flooding. More evaporation, snowpack loss, and earlier snowmelt are expected to shift the timing of runoff earlier and lower streamflow. The loss of snowpack is projected to be especially pronounced in the Wasatch Range. The effects from climate change can be compounded by the non-climate stressors of fire and land uses. Adaptation to these changes is enhanced when watersheds are in good functioning condition. Management actions can serve as an iterative process that builds resilience and can assist transitions to new states under a changing climate.

Water, Climate Change, and Forests

Water, Climate Change, and Forests
Author: Michael J. Furniss
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 80
Release: 2011
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1437939848

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This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Water from forested watersheds provides irreplaceable habitat for aquatic and riparian species and supports our homes, farms, industries, and energy production. Yet population pressures, land uses, and rapid climate change combine to seriously threaten these waters and the resilience of watersheds in most places. Forest land managers are expected to anticipate and respond to these threats and steward forested watersheds to ensure the sustained protection and provision of water and the services it provides. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) Background: Forests and Water; Climate Change: Hydrologic Responses and Ecosystem Services; (3) Moving Forward: Think; Collaborate; Act; (4) Closing; (5) Examples of Watershed Stewardship. Illus.