EPA Climate Change and Water News
EPA Climate Change and Water News is a bi-weekly newsletter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water that covers climate change and water-related news from EPA, other U.S. federal agencies, and partners. To learn more about climate change impacts on water resources, visit our website at: http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange.
EPA News
EPA and Federal Partners Announce Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative to Prepare Natural Resources for Climate Change
EPA, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior and NOAA, have recognized four collaborative landscape partnerships across the country where federal agencies will focus efforts with partners to conserve and restore important lands and waters and make them more resilient to a changing climate. Building on existing collaborations, the Resilient Lands and Waters partnerships located in southwest Florida, Hawaii, Washington, and the Great Lakes region will help build resilience in regions vulnerable to climate change and related challenges. They will also showcase the benefits of landscape-scale management approaches and help enhance the carbon storage capacity of these natural areas.
Click here to read the press release.
EPA Climate Ready Estuaries Program Releases Video about San Juan Bay Vulnerability Assessment
Using the EPA publication, "Being Prepared for Climate Change: A Workbook for Developing Risk-Based Adaptation Plans," the San Juan Bay (Puerto Rico) National Estuary Program developed a risk-based climate change vulnerability assessment. A new video describes some of the climate change impacts already affecting San Juan, documents why the San Juan Bay National Estuary Program undertook this vulnerability assessment project, and explains the benefits of conducting the study.
Click here to view the video.
Click here to view the Climate Ready Estuaries website.
EPA and Partners Announce Development of Early Warning System to Detect Harmful Algal Blooms
EPA has announced that it is developing an early warning indicator system using historical and current satellite data to detect algal blooms. EPA researchers will develop a mobile app to inform water quality managers of changes in water quality using satellite data on cyanobacteria algal blooms from three partnering agencies: NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The multi-agency project will create a reliable, standard method for identifying cyanobacteria blooms in U.S. freshwater lakes and reservoirs using ocean color satellite data.
Click here to view the press release.
Other Federal News
New Topic Section for U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit: Human Health
The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit announced an updated Human Health topic section. The new topic section includes climate-related risks and opportunities related to extreme heat, extreme events, air pollutants, food and water-based threats, changing ecosystems, and infectious disease. Tools and case studies that help manage human health-related climate risk and help build resilience, can also be found within this section.
Click here to access the topic section.
Click here for the Toolkit homepage.
U.S. Forest Service Releases New Interactive Education Module on Climate Change Effects
The Climate Change Resource Center has released a new interactive online education module on climate change effects: "Climate Change Effects on Forests and Grasslands: What You Need to Know." It is the second in a series of three education modules. It gives a brief overview of current and projected climate change effects on water resources, vegetation, wildlife, and disturbances, specifically geared towards forest and grassland ecosystems. The first module, "Climate Change Science and Modeling," provides an introduction to the climate system, greenhouse gases, climate models, current climate change impacts, and future projections.
Click here to access the training modules.
Other News
U.S. Water Alliance Honors 2015 Water Prize Winners
The U.S. Water Prize was initiated five years ago by the U.S. Water Alliance to elevate organizations with strategies that promote the value of water and the power of innovating and integrating for sustainability. The 2015 U.S. Water Prize winners are the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department, Electric Power Research Institute, and The Coca-Cola Company.
Click here to learn more about the winners.
Pacific Institute Report Shows U.S. Has Reduced Water Use Among All Sectors
A new report by the Pacific Institute demonstrates that water use in the United States declined in the five-year period ending in 2010. The nation saw reductions in all sectors, including agriculture; municipal and industrial; and thermoelectric power. The report reveals that nearly two-thirds of the reductions were in the thermoelectric power sector, the largest use of fresh and saline water in the United States. These water-use trends reveal overall improvements in the management of our nation's water. Although substantial progress has been made, current water use trends are not sustainable in the face of population growth and climate change.
Click here to download the report.
Upcoming Webinars, Conferences and Trainings
For a calendar of climate change and water-related trainings, conferences, and webinars, visit: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/climatechange/Calendar-of-Events.cfm.
