Climate Change Adaptation 

 

Having addressed the connection of global temperature increases with  rainfall frequency and intensity; a brief discussion of stationarity would be in order.

 

 

 

 

Stationarity 

 

Stationarity refers to the way water moves through the hydrologic cycle within a fixed envelope of certainty, and time.  Stream flow measurements are a common way in which historic data bases have been developed, to establish stationarity.  An extensive historic stream flow record will allow a flood flow to be established with a return period of say,  1 in 10 years; 1 in 50 years or 1 in 100 years with a signifigant degree of certainty for design and planning purposes.

 

However, with climate change affecting rainfall intensity and the increased frequency of extreme events, stationarity based on historic records, is no longer reliable.  This concept of changes to  Stationarity is well illustrated by the PICS bite size video on Projecting Future Climate.  Give it a look.

 

This in turn will have an effect on water use and water management.  The adaptation strategies noted by the links at left (and shown again in the diagrame below), deal with stationarity and it's changes, current and future.