Climate Variations, Climate Change, and Water Resources Engineering

Complex water resource systems have been developed to ensure a continued safe and reliable water supply, however, due to climate variations these systems can be stressed and lead to water shortages and other problems. While many aspects of climate variations and their impact on water resources have been presented and published, the information is greatly dispersed and lacks a general overview. This report provides a broad overview of this important topic. It highlights the current knowledge about climate variations and change, discusses the impact on water resources systems, characterises its predictability, and provides examples of its use in water resources management, planning, and design.