climate change and supply reliability
By 2012, nearly 60 percent of Tampa Bay Water’s water supplies will come from local rivers and Tampa Bay. Using surface water sources adds more uncertainty to Tampa Bay Water’s operations. This makes the Tampa Bay region more susceptible to the effects of climate variability.
Because of these changes, Tampa Bay Water is now involved in several research studies to find answers to the following questions:
- How will the earth’s changing climate affect our local rainfall?
- Will rainfall be less predictable in the future?
- Will river flows be less predictable?
- How good will our estimates be and what can we rely on for future water supplies?
What Are El Niño and La Niña?
One condition that affects Florida climate occurs far from home, known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Across the world, this condition has the strongest affect on year-to-year climate variation.