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Title: DEVELOPING TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSMENT OF CHANGING WATER RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Author
item Rango, Albert

Submitted to: Conference on World Water Resources at the Beginning of the 21st Century
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: None.

Technical Abstract: The 21st century may be called the century of global climate change, and, as a result, we need to evaluate the potential impacts on our water resources. In addition to changes in temperature and precipitation, other factors such as increasing global population, increasing water pollution, and changes in land use will affect the water supply. Because large areas will be affected, new technology such as remote sensing must be employed to collect necessary input data over data sparse and distant locations. Ways to provide water managers consistent scenarios of temperature, precipitation, and cloudiness in the future climate need to be developed so that they can use the scenarios as inputs to hydrological models. Methods also need to be perfected to guide water managers in operating either calibrated or non calibrated models to assess the hydrological response to climate change. Such developments are needed early in the 21st century so that water managers may make knowledgeable, consistent, and timely responses to environmental changes and still provide an adequate water supply to the maximum number of people.