CLIMATE-CHANGE IMPACTS ON THE HYDROLOGIC RESOURCES OF EUROPE - A SIMPLIFIED CONTINENTAL-SCALE ANALYSIS

U.S. Country Studies supported analyses of climate change impacts on w ater resources have been completed or are underway in the following Ce ntral and Eastern European nations: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Estonia, Russian Federation, and the Ukraine. Climate change impacts on the hydrologic resources of these countries is being perfor med at the river basin scale using monthly water balance models using GCM-based climate scenarios. The authors have performed a regional ana lysis of climate change impacts on the Hydrologic Resources of Europe using the Turc Annual Model. The regional analysis was done with GIS m ethodolgies using regional climate databases. The regional results wer e compared to the U.S. Country Studies hydrologic assessmnent results to validiate the use of this simplified methodolgy for making regional climate change assessment. Results from three countries showed accept able performance of the annual approach. Using GCM-based climate scena rios regional analyses of potential climate change impacts on the hydr ologic resources of Europe were conducted and national and regional re sults are presented.