Historic Climate Change, Climate Variability, and Streamflow Trends in Kittitas and King Counties
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Event Website
https://source2022.sched.com/
Start Date
19-5-2022
End Date
19-5-2022
Keywords
climate change, water resources, resource management
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change is projected to increase throughout the 21st century. These increases will impact communities around the globe, so determining potential rates of temperature and precipitation change in these areas is an important task. However, most climate change studies are done at global/regional levels rather than county/municipality levels. This can create issues in areas like the Pacific Northwest, which has a high amount of topographic and climate variability within the region. For example, it is unclear how shifting snowfall trends in much of the Cascade Range will impact snowpack losses, streamflow, and water availability in local communities. This research examines historic direction and rates of climate change in Kittitas and King counties, Washington. Historic climate data has been gathered from five climate stations, two in each county and one on Stampede Pass, for the past 120 years. An analysis and visualization of these data, combined with historic streamflow data, are making it possible to evaluate county-level temperature and precipitation trends and assess their impact on current and future water availability in these counties. Preliminary results comparing climate normals at each of the climate stations show changes in average monthly maximum temperature of anywhere from -2.1 to 3.5°F, with the most drastic changes occurring at Stampede Pass. These results will be compared with wider PNW and global climate trends, both past and projected, to determine patterns in climate variability at different spatial scales.
Recommended Citation
Cline, Megan, "Historic Climate Change, Climate Variability, and Streamflow Trends in Kittitas and King Counties" (2022). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 28.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2022/COTS/28
Department/Program
Cultural & Environmental Resource Management
Additional Mentoring Department
Geography
Additional Mentoring Department
Cultural & Environmental Resource Management
Additional Mentoring Department
Graduate Studies
Historic Climate Change, Climate Variability, and Streamflow Trends in Kittitas and King Counties
Anthropogenic climate change is projected to increase throughout the 21st century. These increases will impact communities around the globe, so determining potential rates of temperature and precipitation change in these areas is an important task. However, most climate change studies are done at global/regional levels rather than county/municipality levels. This can create issues in areas like the Pacific Northwest, which has a high amount of topographic and climate variability within the region. For example, it is unclear how shifting snowfall trends in much of the Cascade Range will impact snowpack losses, streamflow, and water availability in local communities. This research examines historic direction and rates of climate change in Kittitas and King counties, Washington. Historic climate data has been gathered from five climate stations, two in each county and one on Stampede Pass, for the past 120 years. An analysis and visualization of these data, combined with historic streamflow data, are making it possible to evaluate county-level temperature and precipitation trends and assess their impact on current and future water availability in these counties. Preliminary results comparing climate normals at each of the climate stations show changes in average monthly maximum temperature of anywhere from -2.1 to 3.5°F, with the most drastic changes occurring at Stampede Pass. These results will be compared with wider PNW and global climate trends, both past and projected, to determine patterns in climate variability at different spatial scales.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2022/COTS/28
Faculty Mentor(s)
Megan Walsh, Mike Pease