The use of climate information in water resources management (INVITED PRESENTATION)

Failures in water resources management, evolving societal objectives, and advances in the scientific understanding of hydroclimatic systems have led to reassessment of techniques traditionally used in support of water resources management policies and practices. Climate information, encompassing a variety of timescales, is clearly useful for water resources management, yet remains underutilized. This presentation examines historical climate information provided by instrumental records and paleoclimatological indicators, and prognostications of future climate conditions provided by climate forecasts and assessments of climate change, and issues related to their use in water resources management. Two issues are of central importance: non-stationarity and uncertainty. Further, agencies and individuals responsible for resource management decisions of many types have varying perspectives about hydroclimatic variability and opportunities for using climate information to improve decision outcomes. However, the water resources management community need not assess climate information and its use in isolation. Networks of researchers, including hydroclimatic and social scientists, are actively seeking more integrated involvement with the water resources management community, are adapting their research agenda and activities to address the needs of decision makers and stakeholders, and are committed to developing practical products and decision support tools.