Climate Impacts Group

Paleohydrologic information collected from tree rings have become valuable tools for drought planning and water resources management. The goal of this project is to expand that usefulness to a broader range of water provid­ers and resource managers. The TreeFlow website includes pages for accessing, evaluating, and downloading reconstructions of streamflow for a number of western river basins, examples of applications to water resource management, and information about past workshops for water resource managers (including instructional PowerPoint presentations.

Many municipalities and water providers have become motivated to investigate the effects of climate variability and climate change on water resources. The primary objective of this project was to evaluate engagements of climate science and water management in three western cities—Denver, CO; Seattle, WA; and Tucson, AZ—and thereby contribute to a critical body of knowledge that will be a guide for other collaborative efforts and, more broadly, provide a possible template for other scientific outreach and coordination ef­forts, such as an effective national climate service.