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Fact Sheet 2011–3117

Watershed Scale Response to Climate Change—Yampa River Basin, Colorado

By Lauren E. Hay, William A. Battaglin, and Steven L. Markstrom

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (4.0 MB)Abstract

General Circulation Model simulations of future climate through 2099 project a wide range of possible scenarios. To determine the sensitivity and potential effect of long-term climate change on the freshwater resources of the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey Global Change study, “An integrated watershed scale response to global change in selected basins across the United States” was started in 2008. The long-term goal of this national study is to provide the foundation for hydrologically based climate change studies across the nation.

Fourteen basins for which the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System has been calibrated and evaluated were selected as study sites. Precipitation Runoff Modeling System is a deterministic, distributed parameter watershed model developed to evaluate the effects of various combinations of precipitation, temperature, and land use on streamflow and general basin hydrology. Output from five General Circulation Model simulations and four emission scenarios were used to develop an ensemble of climate-change scenarios for each basin. These ensembles were simulated with the corresponding Precipitation Runoff Modeling System model. This fact sheet summarizes the hydrologic effect and sensitivity of the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System simulations to climate change for the Yampa River Basin at Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

First posted March 16, 2012

For additional information:
USGS Branch of Regional Research, Central Region
Box 25046, Mail Stop 418
Denver, CO 80225
water.usgs.gov/nrp/

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Suggested citation:

Hay, L.E., Battaglin, W.A., and Markstrom, S.L., 2012, Watershed scale response to climate change—Yampa River Basin, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2011–3117, 6 p.



Contents

Introduction

Study Area

General Circulation Models

Results

Conclusion and Discussion

Selected References


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