R E G I O N A L C L I M A T E : P A S T A N D
P R E S E N T
Climate vs. Weather
Climate:
Long term average conditions
Weather:
The conditions day to day
Climate vs. Weather
Climate:
Weather:
Climate vs. Weather
Weather Forecasting• What will the weather be on a specific day in a specific place
• Short term (7-10 days)
Future Climate Simulations• What will the climate trends
be in a region in the future
• Long term (50-100 years)
Climate vs. Weather
Water Year
Hydrologic Water YearCalifornia:
October 1 – September 30
Orographic Precipitation
Orographic Precipitation
Bucks Lake
50 Year Mean Annual Precipitation 1951-2000
Lake Almanor
Eagle Lake
93” per Year
7” per Year
33” per Year
16” per Year
50 Miles!
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/monitor/cal-mon/
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/monitor/cal-mon/
Recent Observations
Warming Trend
Less Snowpack
Less snow/more rain; changing
snow thresholds
Earlier greenup dates; more tree mortalities;
enhanced wildfires
Animals moving north
Earlier snowfed streamflowMike Dettinger, USGS and SIO/UCSD
Recent Local Groundwater Elevation Observations
http://www.water.ca.gov/waterdatalibrary/index.cfm
Recent Local Groundwater Elevation Observations
Example of Groundwater Overdraft(Well in Sacramento Valley)
Recent Local Groundwater Elevation Observations
El Nino?
NCEP Coupled Forecast System (CFS) Model Version 2
El Nino?
Mike Dettinger, USGS/SIO
Collecting and Understanding Data to
Adapt