Future Climate Conditions in the Saint Johns River Drainage Basin, Florida
Report:
The Saint Johns River drainage basin has experienced significant change over the past century as the basin was altered to make way for agricultural, residential, industrial, and commercial centers. In addition to population growth (seven million people are predicted to live in the basin by 2020; a doubling of 2008 numbers), the basin is expected to experience substantial impacts over coming decades brought on by climate change.
Climatic changes already have begun across Florida. Sea-level rise is changing Florida’s natural coastal ecosystems and presenting everyday challenges to maintenance of drainage systems, recreational beaches, coastal highways, and emergency preparations.
To better understand the impacts of climate change specific to the Saint Johns River drainage basin, we obtained data from global climate models that have been adjusted to local scales. We used three different models to provide us with a range of potential future conditions.