HR: 0800h
AN: U41A-0801 [Abstracts]
TI: The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on the Quality and Quantity of Freshwater Available to Humans
in the Arctic
AU: * White, D M
EM: ffdmw@uaf.edu
AF: Water and Environmental Research Center, Box 5860, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860
United States
AU: Strang, E T
EM: ftets@uaf.edu
AF: Water and Environmental Research Center, Box 5860, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860
United States
AU: Alessa, L
EM: afla@uaa.alaska.edu
AF: Resilience and Adaptive Management Group, University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr., Achorage, AK 99508
United States
AU: Hinzman, L
U41A-0801
AF: Water and Environmental Research Center, Box 5860, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860
United States
AU: Kliskey, A
EM: afadk@uaa.alaska.edu
AF: Resilience and Adaptive Management Group, University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr., Achorage, AK 99508
United States
AB:
The objective of this research is to understand how humans rely on freshwater at local and regional scales in selected parts
of the Arctic, how these dependencies have changed in the recent past, and how they are likely to change in the future. The
study seeks to incorporate likely effects of climate change on the hydrologic cycle and water availability to humans in the
Arctic.
The human demand for freshwater has risen dramatically over the past hundred years. Communities on the Seward Peninsula
currently rely on both treated and traditional water sources for their drinking water. In many cases, availability of
freshwater limits the use of both of these types of water sources. Future water demand predictions suggest that the demand
for treated water will increase significantly as water systems are upgraded and the population of the area increases.
Preliminary research indicates that water quality may by impacted by hydrologic changes, and further research is underway to
determine the extent of these changes and how they will affect drinking water supplies on the Seward Peninsula.
Understanding how climate change will impact the hydrology of this area will help minimize the impact these changes have on
both engineered water systems and traditional water uses in the future. This presentation provides the most recent results of
this research program.
This study is being funded under the NSF Arctic System Science Program, Human Dimensions of the Arctic (OPP-0328686).
DE: 1630 Impacts of global change (1225)
DE: 1655 Water cycles (1836)
DE: 1807 Climate impacts
DE: 1884 Water supply
SC: Union [U]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005