Keynote Presentation: "Climate Science and How It Informs Future Design Conditions"

Water resource managers are increasingly faced with the difficulty of basing design decisions on a moving target of climate conditions. Although these challenges vary by location, some of the most relevant climate changes in this context are more intense rainfalls, greater precipitation variability, and altered cold-season meltwater hydrology. In some cases, climatologists are confident about the sign of these changes but much less so about their magnitude. How can engineers and managers incorporate the latest climate science into their decision-making? In keeping with the adage of “forewarned is forearmed,” this presentation will provide an overview of observed historic and projected future climate changes, particularly those that most strongly impact infrastructure design.