Climate-change scenario's for water planning studies - Pilot applications in the Pacific Northwest

The importance of climate change in water resources planning in Pacific Northwest (PNW) is discussed. Climate change is projected to have important impacts on PNW water resources which includes decreased snowpack, increased winter runoff, decreased spring runoff, and increased competition among water users. A pilot project is described in which streamflow scenarios were generated to support two large-scale PNW water-planning studies. The streamflow scenarios which are discussed are expected to allow planners to evaluate their system's vulnerability to climate change.