The project is funded by the Australian Government ($600,000) and the Victorian Government ($400,000). Australian Government funding is provided through the National Water Grid Fund.
This project will help to assess the impacts of climate change on water resources in Victoria.
Project overview
Climate change is decreasing river flows across Victoria. These declines are expected to continue but may not be uniform across the state. At times, some areas may have a surplus of water where others are in drought.
This threat to water security across the state requires improved understanding, monitoring, and prediction of the climate change risks to water in Victoria. This will support informed decision making and the development of adaptive management practices.
This project will update hydroclimate projections. This will help assess climate change impacts and related risks to water resources. It will provide tailored guidance for the water sector on how to assess climate change impacts and climate-related risks.
It will also assess the potential for any new paleoclimate proxy records to help understand these risks. These records are natural clues from the environment. They include tree rings, lake sediments and cave formations that hold information.
The project will address the following knowledge gaps:
- understanding of climate risks
- consistency of assessments
- efficiency of planning and investments
- effectiveness of climate adaptation practices.
The project will incorporate the updated United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suite of climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). It will also build on other climate research in Victoria, including the Victorian Water and Climate Initiative.
Key project benefits
Read more
- Project page: Catchment Yield Science
- Learn more about climate models
- Discover more about the Victorian Water and Climate Initiative