Prof. Jay Banner, Jackson School of Geosciences

"Past, present, and future climate change impacts on Texas water: Science and policy"

Coffee and cookies will be served at 3:45pm in RLM 4.102

Abstract: Texas comprises the eastern portion of the Southwest region, where the convergence of climatological and geopoliti­cal forces has the potential to put extreme stress on water resources. Geologic records indicate that Texas experienced large changes in moisture sources and amounts on millennial time scales in the past, and over the last thousand years, tree-ring records indicate that there were signifi­cant periods of drought in Texas. These droughts were of longer duration than the 1950s “drought of record” that is commonly used in planning, and they occurred independently of human-induced global climate change. Under essentially all climate model projections, Texas will become significantly warmer and drier, yet the magnitude, timing, and regional distribution of these changes are uncertain. With a projected doubling of the state’s population by 2065, science, engineering, policy, communications, public health and economics are essential elements needed for the state’s planning for the projected changes. These challenges are being addressed by the UT Bridging Barriers research initiative, “Planet Texas 2050”.