Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty

Climatic uncertainty affect water resources planning and management in the American West. This book examines the scientific basis for predictions of climate change, the implications of climate uncertainty for water resources management, and the management options available for responding to climate variability and potential climate change.

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The question of whether the earth's climate is changing in some significant human-induced way remains a matter of much debate. But the fact that climate is variable over time is well known. These two elements of climatic uncertainty affect water resources planning and management in the American West.


Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty examines the scientific basis for predictions of climate change, the implications of climate uncertainty for water resources management, and the management options available for responding to climate variability and potential climate change.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
1. Overview
2. Sharing Water Resources with Future Generations
3. The Science Climate Change and Climate
4. Primer on Climate Change
5. Climate Change and Climate Variability: The Climate Record
6. Climate Change and Climate Variability: The Paleo Record
7. Effects of Increasing Carbon Dioxide Levels and Climate Change . . .
8. Hydrologic Implications of Climate Uncertainty in the Western United States
9. The Implications of Climate Change for Streamflow and Water Supply . . .
10. Climate Uncertainty: Implications for Operations of Water Control Systems
11. Economic Consequences of Climate Variability on Water in the West
12. Western Water Law, Global Climate Change, and Risk Allocation
13. Water Resources Forecasting
14. Some Aspects of Hydrologic Variability
15. Management Responses to Climate Variability
16. Improvements in Agricultural Water Management
17. Creative Water Management
18. Weather Modification as a Response to Variations in Weather and Climate
19. Managing Water Supply Variability: The Salt River Project
20. Public Involvement in Water Resources Decisionmaking in a Climate . . .
21. The First Rough Draft of History: How the Press Reports on Global Warming
22. Water Use Efficiency as a Response to Climate Uncertainty
23. Climate Change, The Media, and Public Responses
A Biographical Sketches of Steering Committee Members
B Biographical Sketches of Principal Contributors