Trends in Water Yield under Climate Change and Urbanization in the US Mid-Atlantic Region
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 144, Issue 8
Abstract
Changes in climate and land use are two primary drivers of hydrologic adjustment. This study analyzes 40 years of water resources data for 10 watersheds in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to quantify the impact of climate change and urbanization on water yield. The watersheds investigated have experienced varying degrees of land-use change, from relatively little change to rapid and extensive urbanization. Comparing the data trends for different watersheds allows the separation of effects that are due largely to climate change from those due to land-use change. Predominantly rural watersheds show a steady decline in annual water yield, whereas predominantly urban watersheds do not show any similar trend with time. Separating the year into growing versus nongrowing seasons reveals that limited evapotranspiration from urban surfaces during the growing season or the general effects of a leaking water distribution network may mask the reductions in water yield in urban watersheds from changing climate. These analyses provide hydrological evidence for generally enhanced evapotranspiration and complex interactions between concurrent climate change and urbanization within the study area.
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Acknowledgments
This work benefited from the constructive feedback of three anonymous reviewers and the editorial team at the ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. The authors gratefully acknowledge the input from these individuals. The USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities requiring alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 144 • Issue 8 • August 2018
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©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 4, 2017
Accepted: Dec 7, 2017
Published online: May 18, 2018
Published in print: Aug 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Oct 18, 2018
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