The mountains of our earth function as "water towers" for their surroundings. However, already nowadays, climate change and increasing population pressure, especially in arid regions depending on meltwater from snow and glaciers, causes water stress. Low flows and shifting melt season timing can impact irrigation and agricultural production in downstream regions. The book on "Climate and Hydrology of Mountain Areas" - an outcome of past EGU sessions, is a first attempt to combine the natural interactions of mountain water resources.

The solicited speaker invited to this year's interdisciplinary session (co-sponsored by the Mountain Research Initiative) is Prof. Dennis Lettenmeier, a hydrologist and climatologist from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. In his recent publication in Nature and in his presentation at the EGU in Vienna, he addresses the threat of decreasing snow reserves and changes in their seasonality on e.g. future water storage in dam reservoirs. In this context, the vulnerability of water resources is a major issue of future programmes on Integrated Watershed Management of the UNESCO, FAO and NATO.

Session: CR 9 Mountain climatology and hydrology: present state and future scenarios |  >>programme