Watching Our Water Ways

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a report about what climate change could do to the nation’s water resources and how people should respond.

The report, from EPA’s National Water Program, is called Water Impacts of Climate Change (PDF 584 kb).

The report relies on scientific predictions, which suggest that climate change will bring warmer air and water, a shift in the location of rain and snow, increased storm intensity in some areas, a rise in sea level, and changes in the ocean ecosystem.

Some of the predicted effects:

• Oxygen: Warmer water will hold less oxygen, resulting in increased stress on aquatic organisms and an increase in harmful algal blooms,
• Pollution: Heavier precipitation will increase surface water flows, affecting aquatic health and releasing more nutrients, pathogens and toxic chemicals into water bodies.
• Water supplies: In some areas of the country, droughts will decrease water supplies for drinking, for industrial uses and for agriculture. In other areas, sea level rise will lead to salt water intrusion with similar effects on water supplies.
• Invasive species: As waters become warmer, aquatic life in many areas will be displaced by plants and animals better adapted to warmer waters. Because the changes will occur at an uneven pace, harmful species could become established.
• Combined effects: Coastal areas could see a combination of these various effects — including sea level rise, increased storm intensity and floods, reduction in drinking water supplies and greater ocean acidity.

As a result of these effects, the National Water Program is calling for five goals to respond to ongoing climate change:

• Goal 1, mitigation: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through existing programs; promote carbon sequestration with regard to energy production and industrial processes; and support improved operation of water systems.
• Goal 2, adaptation: Be ready with new strategies to adjust to changes in watersheds, wetlands other natural systems. Develop tools and science to guide and support planning and management.
• Goal 3, research: Strengthen the link between EPA water programs and climate change researchers to allow water managers to anticipate changes.
• Goal 4, education: Educate federal, state and local water program managers to better anticipate and respond to climate change.
• Goal 5, management: The National Water Program should maintain its Climate Change Workgroup and reach out to other federal agencies dealing with climate change.

Tasks to be completed to help all regions of the U.S. adjust to the water-related impacts of climate change:

• Data: Agency scientists need to develop information to understand how the environment is changing.
• Extremes: Water managers need to plan and be prepared for extremes, including heavy storms, excess water and water shortages.
• Resilience: A “watershed approach” based on science should increase the long-term sustainability of ecosystems.
• Analysis: Water managers need to acquire a range of analytical tools to help them understand and respond to climate change.
• Partnerships: Sharing information across geographic areas and among levels of government should help water managers develop the best strategies in response to climate change.

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U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, working with U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have managed to get 149 of their fellow House members to sign onto a set up principles to guide Congress on a quest to reduce global warming.

All 152 members of Congress signed a four-page letter (PDF 592 kb) (not including six pages of signatures) sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The letter outlines and elaborates on four principles.

“Acting in accordance with these principles is critical to achieving a fair and effective bill that will avoid the most dangerous global warming and assist those harmed by the warming that is unavoidable, while strengthening our economy,” the letter states.

The four principles:

1. Reduce emissions to avoid dangerous global warming;
2. Transition America to a clean energy economy;
3. Recognize and minimize any economic impacts from global warming legislation; and
4. Aid communities and ecosystems vulnerable to harm from global warming.

Other members of the Washington delegation who signed the letter are Democratic Reps. Norm Dicks, Jim McDermott and Brian Baird.

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The world’s fish populations are already being affected by global warming, and the human population faces long-term consequences with respect to seafood supplies and local economies that depend on them, according to a statement from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

These conclusions are coming out of a four-day conference of 200 experts and policymakers focused on the marine fisheries issue. The conference, in Rome, Italy, comes to a close today.

Changes already being seen, as reported in a technical summary (PDF 160 kb) written prior to the conference:

• Oceans are warming, while currents, such as those affected by El Nino, seem to be changing. This could have implications for the West Coast.
• Salinity is changing in surface waters, with warming areas of Earth growing more salty from evaporation, while more northern and southern areas grow less salty from increased rain along with ice and snow melt.
• Global sea level has been rising since 1961 with an accelerated rate since 1993.
• Fish distribution has been changing, generally with both warm- and cold-water species moving closer to the poles.

Predictions for the future:

• Changes in fish availability will change at the local and regional levels.
• Markets for various seafoods could grow unstable, as distribution systems try to respond to shifts in supply at various locations.
• Prices for various seafoods could fluctuate with uncertain supplies, and those in the industry could see their jobs disrupted.
• Countries where people eat a lot of seafood may face changes in nutrition with related health implications.

The technical summary also includes this statement:

At both the local and global levels, fisheries and aquaculture play important roles in providing food and generating income. Some 42 million people work directly in the sector, the great majority in developing countries. Adding those who work in associated processing, marketing, distribution and supply industries, the sector supports several hundred million livelihoods.

Aquatic foods have high nutritional quality, contributing 20 percent or more of average per capita animal protein intake for more than 2.8 billion people, again mostly in developing countries.

Fish is also the world’s most widely traded foodstuff and a key source of export earnings for many poorer countries. The sector has particular significance for small island states.

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