Map Showing Water Stress in the United States

Changes in precipitation, temperature, and evaporation rates due to rising carbon dioxide concentrations are projected to increase surface water supplies in most Eastern watersheds (shades of blue) but decrease them in the West (brown). These patterns may be amplified or weakened depending on population growth and groundwater availability.

Map based on data provided by James Meldrum. From Averyt, L., J. Meldrum, P. Caldwell, G. Sun, S. McNulty, A. Huber-Lee, and N. Madden, 2013: "Sectoral contributions to surface water stress in the coterminous United States." Environmental Research Letters, 8, 035046. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035046.

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Last modified
29 June 2015 - 5:35pm