Future scenarios for climate change in Puget Sound

Future scenarios for climate change in Puget Sound

All scenarios project warming for the 21st century. Graph courtesy of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group.
All scenarios project warming for the 21st century. Graph courtesy of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group.

The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group has published a series of projections related to the effects of climate change in Puget Sound.
Among the group’s findings:

  • Many area streams will be too warm in summers for salmon by 2080, “despite rarely being in excess of these temperatures in the recent past.”
  • “About two-thirds of the glaciated area in the lower 48 states (174 out of 266 sq. miles) is in Washington. Although there are some exceptions, most Washington glaciers are in decline.”
  • Despite drought conditions in some cases, heavy rainfall events are expected to become more severe, increasing flood risk.

Read more in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. 
Support for this project was provided by the Puget Sound Partnership.