P2.1
Climate variability and change in central Arizona
PAPER WITHDRAWN
Anthony J. Brazel, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; and I. G. Tomashevskaya, H. J. S. Fernando, and H. Mensing
In this presentation, we review the last 50 years of climate change in the Sonoran Desert and its Sun Corridor Development region of the Southwest USA. Dramatic variability and trends in climatological conditions have taken place at the same time as burgeoning urban development has occurred. Variability in the moisture regime is typically driven by strong teleconnections to particularly oceanic conditions to the south and west of this region, and waxing and waning of droughts have occurred on a quasi- periodic ENSO as well as PDO timescale (e.g., 7-30 years). There is even now increasing evidence of urbanization effects on precipitation in the region in central Arizona's Phoenix metropolitan region. As a result of regional and local changes, dramatic impacts on the region's water resources as well as flood controls are a challenge to the future of the Sun Corridor. Most evident has been warming over the last 50 years of on average ca. 2oC attributable to global climate change and the development and increases in urbanization and diminishment of agricultural acreages. Future projections of climate change in this region of the Southwest USA from the latest IPCC4 assessment imply emphasis on the need to conduct studies on vulnerability of the region to heat waves, drought, and extremes in climate. Several efforts are ongoing in this regard. Focus ought to be placed not only on adaptive climate change and resilience assessments, but selected analysis of possible mitigative measures, especially for developing urban environments.
Poster Session 2, Human and Environmental Impacts of Urbanization - Poster Session
Thursday, 15 January 2009, 9:45 AM-11:00 AM, Hall 5
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