To effectively respond to the effects of climate change, water management systems will need to take into account the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security explains that changes in the availability of water resources could play an increasing role in political tensions, especially if existing water management institutions do not better account for the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. The effects of future climate change could further exacerbate water stress. As living standards and populations rise, water use will likely increase-for example, as more people have diets rich in meat, more water will be needed for agricultural use. It is predicted that the region will become increasingly urbanized as cities expand to absorb migrants in search of economic opportunities. Water scarcity will likely affect the rural and urban poor most severely, as these groups have the least capacity to move to new locations as needed. This report emphasizes that social changes, such as changing patterns of water use and water management decisions, are likely to have at least as much of an impact on water demand as environmental factors do on water supply.

Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security makes recommendations and sets guidelines for the future of climate change and water security in the Himalayan Region. Higher elevation areas could experience altered water flow in some river basins if current rates of glacial retreat continue, but shifts in the location, intensity, and variability of rain and snow due to climate change will likely have a greater impact on regional water supplies. Recent studies show that at lower elevations, glacial retreat is unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability over the next several decades, but other factors, including groundwater depletion and increasing human water use, could have a greater impact. The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is the location of several of Asia's great river systems, which provide water for drinking, irrigation, and other uses for about 1.5 billion people. Scientific evidence shows that most glaciers in South Asia's Hindu Kush Himalayan region are retreating, but the consequences for the region's water supply are unclear, this report finds. National academy of sciences (United States) Published by: National Academies PressВ В 2012 Tags: Oceans Climate change Sea level rising United States of America Add tag However, an earthquake magnitude 8 or larger, which occurs in the region every few hundred to 1,000 years, would cause the land to drop and sea level to suddenly rise. However, projections are lower north of Cape Mendocino because the land is being pushed upward as the ocean plate moves under the continental plate along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. South of that point, sea-level rise is expected to be very close to global projections.

Regional projections for California, Oregon, and Washington show a sharp distinction at Cape Mendocino in northern California. These include: climate patterns such as the El Nino, effects from the melting of modern and ancient ice sheets, and geologic processes, such as plate tectonics. west coast is affected by a number of factors. Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future explains that sea level along the U.S. As those states seek to incorporate projections of sea-level rise into coastal planning, they asked the National Research Council to make independent projections of sea-level rise along their coasts for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100, taking into account regional factors that affect sea level. Sea-level rise poses enormous risks to the valuable infrastructure, development, and wetlands that line much of the 1,600 mile shoreline of California, Oregon, and Washington. As Earth warms, sea levels are rising mainly because ocean water expands as it warms and water from melting glaciers and ice sheets is flowing into the ocean. Tide gages show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data shows that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. Committee on Sea Level Rise in California, Oregon, and Washington Board on Earth Sciences and Resources Ocean Studies Board Division on Earth and Life Studies National Research Council (United States) Published by: National Academies PressВ В 2012

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