Brian Henry Luckman, University of Western Ontario, Geography, luckman@uwo.ca
Abstract
In many parts of the western Americas cordilleran runoff is the primary source of water for adjacent semi-arid lowlands. Climate and land use changes are resulting in changes in the amount, seasonality and variability of streamflow, which, combined with increasing demand, creates significant problems for contemporary and future water management. This session focuses on past, present and future changes in hydrologic variability with examples from the mountain areas of the USA, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. It examines the contribution of glaciers, snowmelt and anthropogenic activities to these changes; discusses the causes, nature and range of variability at centennial-annual timescales; illustrates the impacts of these changes on society and explores the implications of these changes for future water management in the adjacent lowlands. Critically, these studies demonstrate the nature and range of hydroclimatic variability that must be accommodated in meeting sustainable future water management needs in these regions.