Changes in climate can produce significant impacts on dam infrastructure and design resulting in potential issues and increased risk as well as inappropriate application of limited funds. Therefore, it is critical to understand how climate changes, why those changes occur, how they vary through time, and how we can evaluate future changes. It is also important to acknowledge how limited our understanding of future climate is and how that uncertainty should be factored into evaluations and decisions related to climate changes impacts.
Learning Objectives:
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Why is it important to plan for changes in climate?
Are changes in climate we are experiencing today different than what has occurred in the past?
How accurate are future projections of climate and how should those outputs be considered?
How can you use future projections of climate to evaluate risk and determine resiliency?
