BUILDING CAPACITY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON WISCONSIN’S WATER RESOURCES

摘要

The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) recently released its first climate changernstrategy report as a product of a statewide collaboration between the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Departmentrnof Natural Resources, and other agencies and institutions. Climate change has the potential to significantly affect thernquality, availability, and functioning of Wisconsin’s abundant water resources. The WICCI Water Resources WorkingrnGroup analyzed historic ice cover, lake level, groundwater level and stream baseflow data and used the climaternprojection data to identify six major impacts of climate change on our water resources and outlined strategies to addressrnthese impacts. The impacts are increased flooding; increased harmful blue-green algal blooms; increased demand forrngroundwater extraction and demand for water; changes in seepage lake levels; increased sediment and nutrient loading;rnand increased spread of aquatic invasive species. WICCI is moving into the next phase which includes outreachrnactivities, new research projects based on identified knowledge gaps, developing new monitoring programs, andrnidentifying opportunities to adapt to climate change impacts in state and local decision-making.