Climate change and water in the UK: past changes and future prospects

Watts, Glenn; Battarbee, Richard W.; Bloomfield, John P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5730-1723; Crossman, Jill; Daccache, Andre; Durance, Isabelle; Elliott, J. Alex; Garner, Grace; Hannaford, Jamie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5256-3310; Hannah, David M.; Hess, Tim; Jackson, Christopher R.; Kay, Alison L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5526-1756; Kernan, Martin; Knox, Jerry; Mackay, Jonathan; Monteith, Don T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3219-1772; Ormerod, Steve J.; Rance, Jemima; Stuart, Marianne E.; Wade, Andrew J.; Wade, Steven D.; Weatherhead, Keith; Whitehead, Paul G.; Wilby, Robert L.. 2015 Climate change and water in the UK: past changes and future prospects. Progress in Physical Geography, 39 (1). 6-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133314542957

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text (Open Access Paper) N509734JA.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (264kB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Climate change is expected to modify rainfall, temperature and catchment hydrological responses across the world, and adapting to these water-related changes is a pressing challenge. This paper reviews the impact of anthropogenic climate change on water in the UK and looks at projections of future change. The natural variability of the UK climate makes change hard to detect; only historical increases in air temperature can be attributed to anthropogenic climate forcing, but over the last 50 years more winter rainfall has been falling in intense events. Future changes in rainfall and evapotranspiration could lead to changed flow regimes and impacts on water quality, aquatic ecosystems and water availability. Summer flows may decrease on average, but floods may become larger and more frequent. River and lake water quality may decline as a result of higher water temperatures, lower river flows and increased algal blooms in summer, and because of higher flows in the winter. In communicating this important work, researchers should pay particular attention to explaining confidence and uncertainty clearly. Much of the relevant research is either global or highly localized: decision-makers would benefit from more studies that address water and climate change at a spatial and temporal scale appropriate for the decisions they make.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133314542957
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Parr Rees (from October 2014) Reynard
ISSN:	0309-1333
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link
Additional Keywords:	adaptation, climate change, climate change impacts, decision-making, freshwater ecosystems, hydrological change, water environment, water quality change, GroundwaterBGS, Groundwater, Climate change
NORA Subject Terms:	Earth Sciences Ecology and Environment Hydrology Meteorology and Climatology
Date made live:	16 Feb 2015 11:16 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/509734

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...