WWA contributes to paper on how climate change will affect the Colorado River’s flow

Recent studies of the impact that climate warming will have on flow in the Colorado River have produced an unsettling range of estimates, from a modest decrease of 6 percent by 2050 to a steep drop of 45 percent by then. A new paper by researchers at CIRES Western Water Assessment, University of Washington, and NOAA investigates and explains why those estimates differ and summarizes what is known about the future of this iconic Western river—key information for decision makers.