Overview

Freshwater resources are critical to the health of people, the environment, and the economy. Recent studies and assessments of climate change impacts, including the 2009 Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States prepared by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, identify several major impacts of a changing climate on the Nation's fresh- water resources. For instance, projected increases in air temperatures will lead to warmer waters. Rainfall amounts are expected to decline in some areas and increase in others, while the propor- tion of precipitation that falls as snow decreases. Rainfall and storms are expected to be more intense. In some areas rising sea level is projected to inundate water infrastructure, such as water treatment facili- ties, and degrade coastal groundwater resources. These impacts of a changing climate pose significant challenges for managers of freshwater resources. Ensuring adequate water supply will be more difficult. New problems will arise for water managers working to protect human life, health, and property. Changing water-resources conditions will also make protecting the quality of freshwater resources, habitats, and aquatic life more complex. In October 2010, the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force published a Progress Report to the President describing Federal agency actions needed to better prepare the Nation to respond to the impacts of a changing climate. The Progress Report directed the Task Force's Water Resources and Climate Change Adaptation Workgroup to lead the development of a national action plan to identify steps that Federal agencies can take to improve management of freshwater resources in a changing climate.

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9781500474478

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