Water and Climate in the Western United States

Although developed intensively as a resource for more than a century, the use and management of water in the Western United States are far from being settled matters. With papers from researches and managers representing the multiple viewpoints of climate forecasting, water management, water law, and water allocation, 'Water and Climate in the Western United States' demonstrates that new technologies and a new scientific understanding of the water cycle are emerging. This new insight is emerging at a time when demands for water are expanding and changing as traditional policies and institutions are coming under severe criticism for their inadequacy. The degree to which vagaries of climate can be anticipated and countered -- through better predictions, better supervision, and reformed legal and management systems for allocating water -- are explored thoroughly by the contributors in the context of a long-term climate record and changes in water use. The papers in this volume highlight both the opportunity and necessity for change in human management of water, the West's most limited resource. Unique in its full, integrated coverage, the book will appeal to academics and policymakers interested in water supply and management questions as well as climate prediction.