APPLICATIONS OF A GIS FOR MODELING THE SENSITIVITY OF WATER-RESOURCESTO ALTERATIONS IN CLIMATE IN THE GUNNISON RIVER BASIN, COLORADO

The Gunnison River drains a mountainous basin in western Colorado, and is a large contributor of water to the Colorado River. As part of a s tudy to assess water resource sensitivity to alterations in climate in the Gunnison River basin, climatic and hydrologic processes are being modeled. A geographic information system (GIS) is being used in this study as a link between data and modelers - serving as a common data b ase for project personnel with differing specialties, providing a mean s to investigate the effects of scale on model results, and providing a framework for the transfer of parameter values among models. Specifi c applications presented include: (1) developing elevation grids for a precipitation model from digital elevation model (DEM) point-elevatio n values, and visualizing the effects of grid resolution on model resu lts; (2) using a GIS to facilitate the definition and parameterization of a distributed-parameters, watershed model in multiple basins; and (3) nesting atmospheric and hydrologic models to produce possible scen arios of climate change.