Final Report: Streamflow response to a changing climate in the Upper Rio Grande Basin
Dates
Publication Date
2021-03-16
Citation
C David Moeser, 2021-03-16, Final Report: Streamflow response to a changing climate in the Upper Rio Grande Basin: .
Summary
Water availability in the Upper Rio Grande Basin is dependent on winter and monsoon season precipitation. Consecutive years of drought and above average temperatures have diminished water supply and increased demand for water in the southwestern United States. The increasing gap between water supply and demand is cause for concern and climate projections for the southwestern United States suggest that temperatures will continue to increase, affecting seasonal precipitation and water availability potentially widening the water supply and demand gap. To better manage current supply and prepare for possible future changes, water managers need projections of future streamflow and landscape conditions that may affect future water supply. [...]
Summary
Water availability in the Upper Rio Grande Basin is dependent on winter and monsoon season precipitation. Consecutive years of drought and above average temperatures have diminished water supply and increased demand for water in the southwestern United States. The increasing gap between water supply and demand is cause for concern and climate projections for the southwestern United States suggest that temperatures will continue to increase, affecting seasonal precipitation and water availability potentially widening the water supply and demand gap. To better manage current supply and prepare for possible future changes, water managers need projections of future streamflow and landscape conditions that may affect future water supply.
The model displayed that future peak flow in the Rio Grande will occur almost one month earlier due to earlier snowmelt from increasing temperature. The cumulative amount of water volume in the main stem of the Rio Grande displayed slight reductions through time due to an overall reduction in precipitation. However, this model also displayed that the pattern of future precipitation changes was more spatially variable than future temperature changes and some regions displayed increases in streamflow while other regions showed reductions.
