The Nature Conservancy and Newspapers In Education Present
THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE:
PREPARING FOR CHANGE
To learn more about our Newspapers
in Education program email
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This insert highlights information from the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group’s 2015
State of Knowledge
report. cig.uw.edu/ps-sok
From the mountaintops to the shorelines of
Puget Sound, climate change will affect our
region’s water cycle, natural resources, and
communities.
HOW IS THE CLIMATE IN PUGET SOUND PROJECTED TO CHANGE?
The Puget Sound region is projected to experience an ongoing decrease in snowpack
and glaciers, a continued shift from snow to rain dominant watersheds, increasing
stream temperatures, a continued shift to earlier peak streamflows, an increase in the
frequency and extent of flooding, and declining summer streamflows. Most Puget Sound
watersheds will be rain-dominant by the end of the 21st century.
The region is expected to see rising temperatures throughout the 21st century, with
models projecting the change in average temperature to at least double what was
observed in the 20th century. The change in average annual temperature could
potentially rise as much as ten times more by 2100. In the shorter term, annual
temperatures are likely to increase by 4-6°F by the 2050s, with extreme heat events
becoming more common and extreme cold events less common.
The increased frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall will increase flood risks in
many watersheds. As sea levels rise, low-lying coastal areas will experience increased
flooding, and higher seas will combine with river flows to increase flood risk in
floodplains. Rising seas have the potential to damage coastal infrastructure, flood
commercial and industrial areas, and impact fisheries and shellfish operations.
