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Watershed Modeling to Assess the Sensitivity of Streamflow, Nutrient, and Sediment Loads to Potential Climate Change and Urban Development in 20 U.S. Watersheds (External Review Draft)
EPA announces the release of the draft report, Watershed Modeling to Assess the Sensitivity of Streamflow, Nutrient, and Sediment Loads to Potential Climate Change and Urban Development in 20 U.S. Watersheds (External Review Draft) in a March 1, 2013 Federal Register Notice. This draft report is provided for public viewing and comment. Public comments received on the draft report within 45 days after the release of the FRN will be considered by EPA in their revisions.
Citation:
U.S. EPA. Watershed Modeling to Assess the Sensitivity of Streamflow, Nutrient, and Sediment Loads to Potential Climate Change and Urban Development in 20 U.S. Watersheds (External Review Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
Projected changes in climate during the next century could cause or contribute to increased flooding, drought, water quality degradation, and ecosystem impairment.
Description:
EPA has released for independent external peer review and public comment a draft report titled, Watershed Modeling to Assess the Sensitivity of Streamflow, Nutrient, and Sediment Loads to Potential Climate Change and Urban Development in 20 U.S. Watersheds. This is a draft document that intends to characterize the sensitivity of streamflow, nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus), and sediment loading in different regions of the nation to a range of plausible mid-21st Century climate change and urban development scenarios.
Watershed modeling was conducted in 20 large, U.S. watersheds to assess the sensitivity of streamflow, nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus), and sediment loading to a range of plausible mid-21st Century climate change and urban development scenarios in different regions of the nation. This draft report provides a summary of simulation results. The model simulations characterize the sensitivity of streamflow, nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus), and sediment loading to a range of plausible mid-21st Century climate change and urban development. Results show a high degree of variability in the response throughout the nation. Results also provide an improved understanding of methodological challenges associated with integrating existing tools and datasets to address these scientific questions. This provides guidance for improving how existing models and datasets can be used for assessing climate change impacts on watersheds.
URLs/Downloads:
FR Notice: Mar 1, 2013
Watershed Modeling to Assess the Sensitivity of Streamflow, Nutrient, and Sediment Loads to Potential Climate Change and Urban Development in 20 U.S. Watersheds (PDF, 186 pp, 17514 KB, about PDF)
Watersheds ERD: Appendices A -- O
Watersheds ERD: Appendices P -- Z
EPA's Response to Peer Review Comments (PDF, 12 pp, 140 KB, about PDF)
Explore the 20 Watersheds dataset interactively
Peer Review Plan (PDF, NA pp, 33 KB, about PDF)