Estimating Future Water Availability and Streamflow in the Southeast
Project Information
Project Timeline: September 2016. This project has now been completed.
Principal Investigator: Jacob LaFontaine, Georgia Water Science Center
Implements Science Theme:
3: Impacts of climate change on water resources
Key Points
- Developed method to estimate flow data from ungaged watersheds
- Removes gap in data from ungaged watersheds allowing resource managers to view regions more broadly
- Data applies to both current and projected future conditions
Overview
It is important to have estimates of how much water flows in streams. These estimates let us know how much water is available for both human and ecological needs. Streamgages are often used to track water flow at specific locations. But, not every stream has a streamgage. Decisions about water resources may need to be made in a watershed with no direct flow data.
We can use hydrologic models as a substitute to streamgages to estimate streamflow. This research developed a method to group gaged and ungaged watersheds together. We used various models, techniques, and data to group watersheds across the southeastern US. Watersheds were not always grouped by proximity, but by their similarity. We grouped watersheds based on their response to climate and their landscape setting. This project provides regional estimates of water availability for current and potential future conditions.