Climate Change and Groundwater: Planning and Adaptations for a Changing and Uncertain Future WSP Methods in Water Resources Evaluation Series No. 6

This book attempts to bridge the gap between the climate change research and decision-making communities by exploring the impacts of climate change on groundwater from a more applied perspective. Global climate change will impact groundwater demands, quality, and available supplies, and rising sea level may cause water tables to rise, inundating low-lying coastal areas. Groundwater will increasingly be needed to perform a stabilization role in mitigating fluctuations in the supply of surface waters, serving as a buffer against droughts. Climate change has become a frequent subject in the mass media, and the academic literature on the subject is now enormous. An impediment to climate change adaptation with respect to water is a poor link between the climate change research community and the actual decision-makers responsible for water supply planning. Key issues explored are methods for evaluating potential impacts on climate change on local groundwater systems, the adaptation of decision-making process, and how climate change adaptation can be mainstreamed into the water supply planning.

1. Introduction to Climate Change and Groundwater.- 2. Climate and Groundwater Primer.- 3. Historical Evidence for Anthropogenic Climate Change and Climate Modeling Basics.- 4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Global Climate Change Projections.- 5. Modeling of Climate Change and Aquifer Recharge and Water Levels.- 6. Sea Level Rise and Groundwater.- 7. Climate Change and Small Islands.- 8. Groundwater Related Impacts of Climate Change on Infrastructure.- 9. Adaptation and Resilience Concepts.- 10. Adaptation Options.- 11. Conjunctive Use.- 12. Climate Change Adaptation - Water Management Decision Making Process.- 13. Regional Hydrological Impacts to Climate Changes and Adaptation Actions and Options.- 14. Applied Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation.