A Northeast CASC supported publication focuses on hydrological extremes in Massachusetts caused by climate change.
Flood and Drought Conditions in Massachusetts Under a Changing Climate
Read the original news story posted by the Northeast CASC here.
Few statewide studies have generated high-resolution, physically-based hydrological models and multiple climate change projections. In order to assess the changes in future flood and drought conditions across watersheds in Massachusetts, Northeast CASC researchers Ridwan Siddique, Ambarish Karmalkar, and Richard Palmer summarize the potential impacts of climate shifts on future floods and low flow conditions in the rivers and streams of Massachusetts in an article in The Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies. Massachusetts has undergone several extreme watershed-related events in recent decades and the researchers found that increases in extreme precipitation, flooding, and droughts are some of the most significant impacts the state will face in the future under a changing climate. Macro scale modeling studies have been performed in the area previously, but this research provides a more detailed representation of topographical features and climate forcing offering a range of new hydrological insights for the region.
This study is a part of the Northeast CASC project Evaluating the Impacts of Climate Change on Regional Hydrology.