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Sustainability transitions in urban water management
Published in Thomas Bolognesi, Francisco Silva Pinto, Megan Farrelly, Routledge Handbook of Urban Water Governance, 2023
Aaron Deslatte, Margaret Garcia, Elizabeth A. Koebele, John M. Anderies
Los Angeles relies on a portfolio of surface, groundwater, and recycled wastewater. Snowmelt from the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains is a significant water source. The snowpack provides natural storage, allowing the system to balance out-of-phase water demands and precipitation. Snowpack in the eastern Sierras is projected to decline with warming projected under climate change (Bales, Rice, and Roy 2015). Snowpack also plays an important role in LA's other surface water sources, such as the State Water Project (Johannis et al. 2016). Intensifying wildfire is also changing the nature of CA's watersheds. Wildfire not only alters hydrology (temporarily lowering infiltration and evapotranspiration rates), but also impacts water quality by increasing nutrient and metal fluxes (Rust et al. 2018). Los Angeles also depends on water from the Colorado River and is therefore subject to the same drought periods and drying trends described for Las Vegas.
The Columbia River Treaty and the Dynamics of Transboundary Water Negotiations in a Changing Environment: How Might Climate Change Alter the Game?
Published in Kathleen A. Miller, Alan F. Hamlet, Douglas S. Kenney, Kelly T. Redmond, Water Policy and Planning, 2017
Barbara Cosens, Alexander Fremier, Nigel Bankes, John Abatzoglou
Engineered storage capacity in the basin is now 40% of the average annual flow (in comparison, the Colorado River has storage capacity for 400–500% of the average annual flow) (Barton and Ketchum 2012). Thus, the water management of the basin is heavily dependent on snowpack storage. Most of the region’s precipitation falls from October to March at higher elevations, where temperatures have been conducive to snowpack development (e.g., Mote et al. 2005). Spring warming begets snowmelt that synchronizes well with dry season and increased water demands of the system. Flexibility in operational planning envisioned by the CRT depends on seasonal and yearly variation that can be forecast within the degrees of historical variability (Barton and Ketchum 2012). Unfortunately, climate change predictions may exceed the historical range of variability (Hamlet 2003).
Sustainability principles in water management
Published in Nick F. Gray, Water Science and Technology: An Introduction, 2017
Climate change will alter the hydrological characteristics of surface water due to changes in seasonal rainfall patterns and surface run-off. This will affect river and reservoir yields and also the recharge of groundwater aquifers, making water resources more difficult to manage in order to maintain abstraction rates for water supplies. The loss of winter snowpack will also greatly reduce a major source of groundwater recharge and spring run-off, resulting in a lowering of water levels in streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands, adversely affecting species during the growing season. Alteration in discharge regimes in rivers will affect both species composition and productivity, with species varying in their ability to cope with the frequency, duration, timing and magnitude of extreme rainfall events that include both floods and droughts.
Assessment of the ability of the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) to model historical streamflow in watersheds of Western Canada
Published in Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques, 2021
Sunil Gurrapu, Kyle R. Hodder, David J. Sauchyn, Jeannine Marie St. Jacques
Surface water variability in western Canada is a complex function of precipitation, temperature, evaporation, wind speed, solar radiation, etc., modulated by a broad range of land surface characteristics and processes, ranging from alpine glacier dynamics to soil and groundwater storage to grassland and forest transpiration (eg Whitfield and Cannon 2000; Zhang et al. 2001; Whitfield, Cannon, and Reynolds 2002; Stahl and Moore 2006; Bates et al. 2008; Déry et al. 2009, 2012; Jost et al. 2012; Fleming and Dahlke 2014; Fleming and Barton 2015). The majority of the watersheds in this region are snow-dominated. Winter snowpack is the primary reservoir of summer water supplies in this region, although in a few watersheds glaciers contribute in varying amounts (eg Stahl and Moore 2006; Déry et al. 2009; Jost et al. 2012; Fleming and Dahlke 2014; Schnorbus, Werner, and Bennett 2014). Surface water resources in this region range from abundant in coastal British Columbia to of serious concern in semi-arid southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan.
Water security and the pursuit of food, energy, and earth systems resilience
Published in Water International, 2018
Christopher A. Scott, Tamee R. Albrecht, Rafael De Grenade, Adriana Zuniga-Teran, Robert G. Varady, Bhuwan Thapa
Finally, we note that climate change – a potent earth system process – has a strong potential to affect energy availability and therefore energy security. Extended droughts and rising temperatures can reduce snowpack, which in turn reduces the volume of water available for hydropower. Less directly, but as importantly, high temperatures raise demand for power such as for air conditioning and cooling systems, especially in urban settings. And climate-change-induced extreme heat and aridity, as well as tropical storms and flooding, can disrupt electric transmission, pipeline transport, and vehicular conveyance of energy materials. At the opposite extreme, some areas may experience severe flooding or coastal sea level rises; these phenomena also can require surges of energy use and are capable of disrupting grids and provisioning networks.
The European Water Framework Directive facing current challenges: recommendations for a more efficient biological assessment of inland surface waters
Published in Inland Waters, 2019
Ana Filipa Filipe, Maria João Feio, Aina Garcia-Raventós, José Pedro Ramião, Giorgio Pace, Filipa MS Martins, Maria Filomena Magalhães
Climate change leads to warmer waters, which can intensify the symptoms of eutrophication in freshwaters, increase the risk of elevated nutrient inputs and concentration, and promote methane emissions, especially during summer (Jeppesen et al. 2010, Bastviken et al. 2011, Brookshire et al. 2011). As mean temperature increases, the volume of snowpack decreases, altering the time of release and changing the runoff patterns. This problem will be especially serious in regions where water supplies depend on snowpack, such as Northern Europe (Jury and Vaux 2005). Additionally, sea-level rise is expected to extend salinized areas in groundwaters and estuaries, decreasing freshwater availability for humans and ecosystems (Quevauviller 2011). Future spatial and seasonal distribution of fresh waters will be altered between high and low latitudes. In northern European latitudes, high precipitation and floods will be major concerns while extreme droughts are expected in southern areas with Mediterranean climates (IPCC 2014). The Mediterranean Basin typically hosts a high level of endemic species and is considered one of the most important hotspots of freshwater biodiversity (Hermoso et al. 2009, De Figueroa et al. 2013, Filipe et al. 2013); however, it is among the most vulnerable ecosystems worldwide to the effects of ongoing climate change and consequent extreme events of floods and droughts (Filipe et al. 2013). Dramatic shifts in the hydrological patterns of fluvial ecosystems are projected to lead to unpredictable harsh events, exacerbated water stress, and landscape desertification (IPCC 2014). These events already represent the most common natural disasters in Europe and are a major societal concern (Bradford et al. 2012).