BASINS and WEPP Climate Assessment Tools (CAT): Case Study Guide to Potential Applications (External Review Draft)

There is growing concern about the potential effects of climate change on water resources. U.S. EPA and partners have developed two assessment tools, the BASINS Climate Assessment Tool (BASINS CAT) and the Water Erosion Prediction Project Climate Assessment Tool (WEPPCAT), that facilitate application of existing simulation models for conducting scenario-based assessments of potential climate change impacts on water.

This report presents a series of short case studies using the BASINS and WEPP climate assessment tools. The case studies are designed to illustrate the capabilities of these tools for conducting assessments of the potential future effects of climate, land use, and management change on water resources. Climate change scenarios are created based on model projections as well as historical data and past events. Land use change and management scenarios are also included to address questions related to the relative effects of land use versus climate change, and the effectiveness of management practices for reducing impacts.

This report is of interest to modeling professionals including water and watershed managers, urban or regional planners, government officials, and scientists and engineers interested in using the BASINS or WEPP water models to assess the potential implications of climate change on water resources.

Concluding this review, the draft report will be revised and a final report will be published on the NCEA Global web site.

Comments on the assessment may be submitted and reviewed using the e-Government Regulations.gov Web site. From the site, select Environmental Protection Agency and the key word EPA- HQ-ORD-2011- 0914 (for the docket ID).

U.S. EPA. BASINS and WEPP Climate Assessment Tools (CAT): Case Study Guide to Potential Applications (External Review Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-11/123A, 2011.