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Sierra Nevada summary report. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment

November 1, 2018

The Sierra Nevada region is critical to the environment and economy of California. Its places and peoples provide
essential natural resources including fresh water, clean power, working lands, and famous wilderness. The region
encompasses tremendous geographical, climatological, and ecological diversity that spans majestic mountains to
deep desert basins. The climate consists of cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers with large differences due to
latitude (e.g., the southern Sierra is snowier than northern Sierra) and topography (e.g., the Westside is wetter than
the Eastside). Variability is another notable feature of the climate with the region experiencing some of the largest
year-to-year climatic fluctuations in the United States. Herein we summarize our assessment of climate-change
vulnerabilities and adaptation actions in the region.

Publication Year 2018
Title Sierra Nevada summary report. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment
Authors Michael D. Dettinger, Holly Alpert, John J. Battles, Jonathan Kusel, Hugh Safford, Dorian Fougeres, Clarke Knight, Lauren Miller, Sarah Sawyer
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype State or Local Government Series
Series Number SUM-CCCA4-2018-004
Index ID 70201117
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization National Research Program - Eastern Branch
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