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Adapt to a Changing World: Protect and Diversify to Sustain Water Supplies for the Future
Author(s) -
Bloetscher Frederick,
Heimlich Barry
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.2011.tb03068.x
Subject(s) - saltwater intrusion , water cycle , environmental science , water quality , streamflow , climate change , snowpack , water supply , water security , water conservation , surface water , water resource management , precipitation , natural resource economics , water resources , business , environmental resource management , environmental planning , groundwater , environmental engineering , snow , oceanography , geography , aquifer , engineering , ecology , geology , drainage basin , geotechnical engineering , cartography , meteorology , economics , biology
Changes in the nature of global precipitation, evaporation, snowpack, streamflow, and other factors will affect freshwater supply and quality. For example, the effects of sea level rise in low‐lying areas, such as Florida, are potentially significant and represent permanent problems that will require substantial investment to overcome. Additional water will be needed to retard saltwater intrusion, limit saltwater migration into surface water bodies, and secure water supplies. Water managers should evaluate how changes in climate will affect the hydrologic cycle in their areas and how to mitigate the effects to prevent freshwater crises in the future. Site‐specific strategies for improving water supplies may include water conservation, protecting existing water sources from saltwater intrusion, developing alternative water sources, and regionalization.