Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources: Findings of The IPCC Regional Assessment of Vulnerability for North America

In this paper, we summarize recent findings on the effects of climate change on water resources by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Regional Assessment of Vulnerability for North America (Shriner et al., 1998). This report was essentially a state-of-science review that synthesized what is currently known about climatic effects on regional resources. It concludes that water is a linchpin that integrates many geographic subregions and economic/social/ecological sectors of North America. Changes in climate resulting from increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases could have significant effects on water resources in North America. The quantity and quality of water are likely to be directly affected by climate change. Available water supplies also are likely to be affected by changes in demand from multiple sectors competing for water resources. Changes in the hydrological cycle will cause changes in ecosystems which, in turn, affect human health (e.g., by altering the geographic distribution of infectious diseases) and biological productivity and diversity.

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