Implications of Climate Change for Ground Water Management in Arizona

The recent IPCC findings indicate that the southwestern US is likely to experience significant impacts from warming, particularly in the water resources sector. The combination of predicted higher temperatures and new projections of reductions in winter precipitation in Mexico and the southern portions of the southwest mean that even if total precipitation increases on average across the globe, drought is likely to become an even greater problem. The IPCC also concludes that the intensity of precipitation is likely to increase in future climate scenarios for most parts of the US.  Therefore, both extremes of precipitation – floods and droughts – will increasingly challenge water managers, especially in the southwest.