Climate change projections indicate a steady increase in temperature progressing through the 21^st century, generally resulting in snowpack reductions, changes to the timing of snowmelt, altered streamflows, and reductions in soil moisture, all of which could affect water management, agriculture, recreation, hazard mitigation, and ecosystems across the nation. Despite some widespread similarities in climate change trends, climate change will affect specific water basins in the U.S. differently, based on the particular hydrologic and geologic conditions in that area. 

New USGS modeling studies project changes in water availability due to climate change at the local level. So far, the USGS has applied these models to fourteen basins, including: 

• Sprague River Basin, Oregon
• Sagehen Creek Basin, California
• Feather River Basin, California
• Naches River Basin, Washington
• Yampa River Basin, Colorado
• East River Basin, Colorado
• Black Earth Creek Basin, Wisconsin
• Flint River Basin, Georgia
• Pomperaug River Watershed, Connecticut
• Clear Creek Basin, Iowa
• Cathance Stream Basin, Maine
• Trout Lake Basin, Wisconsin
• Starkweather Coulee Basin, North Dakota
• South Fork of the Flathead River, Montana

"The advantage of these studies is that they demonstrate that there is not just one hydrological response to climate change: the predictions account for essential local factors that will govern the timing, severity, and type of impact, whether it be water shortage, drought, or flood," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "This is exactly the sort of information communities need to know now, because we are unlikely to see a 'water-as-usual' future." 

These local projections are based on General Circulation Models (GCM) that predict how climate change will affect temperature, precipitation, and emissions for large regional areas. The USGS’s Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) applies information from the downscaled GCM projections to local watersheds, where impacts of climate change on water availability will depend on local conditions. These local-scale hydrologic projections will allow managers to plan for changes in water resources that are specific to their area. 

For example, the USGS models project that changes to snow pack in the Sprague River Basin in Oregon could cause annual peak streamflows to occur earlier in the spring as overall basin storage decreases, which may force managers to modify storage operation and reprioritize water deliveries for environmental and human needs. Reduced snowpack in headwaters of the Colorado River could affect the amount and timing of streamflow to the Colorado River and also impact important recreation areas. Portions of Maine may see higher streamflows which could affect populations of endangered Atlantic salmon. Areas of the already drought-stressed Flint River Basin, one of Atlanta’s primary drinking water supplies, are projected to become even drier. 

The results for each basin present a complex story due to uncertainty associated with the future climate projections and their effect on the hydrological response of the different geographical regions of the nation.

Detailed information about watershed responses to climate change can be found online. Additionally, a collection of USGS studies that contributed to these basin-wide analyses was published in the journal Earth Interactions. 

The downscaled GCM models are obtained from the World Climate Research Programme's Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 multi-model dataset archive. The USGS PRMS models were developed as part of the USGS National Research Program (NRP) in cooperation with USGS Water Science Centers. The NRP develops new information, theories, and techniques to anticipate, understand, and solve problems facing resources managers and is a national leader in understanding the effects of climate change on water resources. 

These USGS models are just one of several tools developed and used by agencies within the Department of the Interior to study potential impacts from climate change and to provide tools to resource managers to adapt to those changes. For example, the Bureau of Reclamation recently unveiled a user-friendly tool for calculating future streamflow and water supplies at 195 sites in the western United States to help increase accessibility of science-based information and ease understanding of how climate variations will impact water availability for local communities.

Being in a hospital is tough enough without having to worry about how the building will hold up during an earthquake. Now veterans in Memphis, Tenn. can rest assured knowing that their medical center, even though it is located in the most active earthquake zone in the Eastern United States, has the most sophisticated seismic structural monitoring system in the country. 

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Veterans Affairs have equipped over 70 VA medical centers across the country with seismic monitoring systems that monitor in real time what happens to buildings during and after earthquakes._Most recently, the agencies installed 36 sensors in two buildings at the Memphis VA Medical Center. These sensors provide information that can be used to see what happens to the buildings during an event, to judge the safety of the buildings afterwards, and to design safer hospitals in the future. 

"Modern hospitals are immense investments in state-of-the-art facilities, high-tech equipment, highly-educated medical professionals, as well as recovering patients, all of which need the very best protection in the event of an earthquake," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "We are grateful for the partnership of the Department of Veterans Affairs in helping the USGS to record very detailed building performance data that will ultimately reduce risk to life and property from natural hazards."

Hospitals are just one piece of the Nation’s critical infrastructure threatened by the shaking that comes with earthquakes. The USGS monitors more than 250 structures nationwide including fire stations, emergency operation centers, major bridges, nuclear power plants, offshore drilling platforms and airports.

These monitoring stations are part of the implementation of the USGS Advanced National Seismic System, which is modernizing and expanding earthquake monitoring around the Nation to improve the overall understanding of earthquakes and their behavior. This allows for better preparation for earthquakes and can minimize damage by designing safer structures that protect vulnerable citizens and resources.

USGS structural monitoring provides information about how buildings act during shaking, and how damage occurs. This can lead to improved earthquake-resistant design techniques, as well as predict how buildings will withstand different levels of shaking. Data from the sensors demonstrate whether the buildings behaved as designed by recording:

• the swaying and twisting of the buildings,
• the time it takes seismic waves to travel from the foundations to the roofs, and
• how the frame of the buildings changed during the earthquake.

Other sensors located away from the building record overall ground shaking to feed USGS Shakemaps. These graphics show ground motion and shaking intensity after significant earthquakes, giving a visual representation of a quake’s behavior and impact for rapid situational awareness.

The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program  is part of the four-agency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Earthquakes pose significant risk to 75 million Americans in 39 States. The EHP provides information and products for earthquake loss reduction, including hazard and risk assessment, and comprehensive real-time earthquake monitoring.

Learn more about the Memphis VA Hospital Center’s real-time seismic monitoring system in this USGS Factsheet.