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Thesis
Predicting future climate and land use conditions for water resources in the Schuylkill River Watershed
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2018
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/D8795K
Abstract
The Schuylkill River watershed located in southeastern Pennsylvania drains approximately 2,000 square miles and provides services to nearly 1.5 million residents. The water resources provide many benefits and services to the environment, economy and society in the region. The impact of changing climate and land use conditions on these resources has the potential of majorly affecting the day-to-day functioning of the watershed. Water management policies are designed to ensure the availability of water resources to meet the water demand in a region based on historical data. As these policies are based on historical information, it is important to assess the effects of changing climate on water resources in the future, especially with the intensification of climate change. This, coupled with changing land use conditions, could alter the quantity and quality of water resources significantly. The effects of climate and land use change on the water resources were quantified by estimating the runoff produced and the baseflow available in the region under simulated future conditions. The runoff was calculated using the Curve Number method by incorporating the effects of land use and hydrologic soil conditions present in the region. The baseflow was deduced by integrating the effects of the precipitation, potential evapotranspiration and soil moisture in the region. The land use change conditions were projected based on historical change in impervious conditions and future demand projections. The projected land use conditions were used to calculate the Curve Number for the period of 2020-2040. The climate change conditions and hydrologic parameters used for the calculations were derived from the Localized Constructed Analog (LOCA) data and the Bias-Correction Spatial Disaggregation (BCSD) data respectively.
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Details
- Title
- Predicting future climate and land use conditions for water resources in the Schuylkill River Watershed
- Creators
- Achira Amur - DU
- Contributors
- Mira S. Olson (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)Patrick L. Gurian (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- vii, 70 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil (and Architectural) Engineering [Historical]; College of Engineering (1970-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 8198; 991014632543304721