Human-induced changes in the hydrology of the Western United States
Science
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Abstract
Observations have shown that the hydrological cycle of the western United States changed significantly over the last half of the 20th century. We present a regional, multivariable climate change detection and attribution study, using a high-resolution hydrologic model forced by global climate models, focusing on the changes that have already affected this primarily arid region with a large and growing population. The results show that up to 60% of the climate-related trends of river flow, winter air temperature, and snow pack between 1950 and 1999 are human-induced. These results are robust to perturbation of study variates and methods. They portend, in conjunction with previous work, a coming crisis in water supply for the western United States.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Human-induced changes in the hydrology of the Western United States |
| Series title | Science |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.1152538 |
| Volume | 319 |
| Issue | 5866 |
| Year Published | 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Contributing office(s) | Toxic Substances Hydrology Program |
| Description | 4 p. |
| First page | 1080 |
| Last page | 1083 |