Tools

Background

The WaterRF Climate Change Clearinghouse cannot provide utilities with site-specific characterizations or assessments of how future climate change will impact their facilities or operations. However, it is our goal to facilitate utility access to data, decision tools, and models that utility professionals can use to evaluate their own unique circumstances and situation.

Resources in this section of the Clearinghouse have been classified in terms of three basic categories: (1) datasets, (2) models or model applications, and (3) utility decision aids.

Datasets: This includes structured compilations of data dealing with topics relevant to climate change such as hydrology, meteorology, climate, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Models or Model Applications: This includes mathematical or other computational procedures used to characterize and/or predict physical or social processes related to or impacted by climate change.
Utility Decision Aids: This includes probabilistic, process-oriented, or computational or conceptual frameworks that enable utility professionals to characterize how a particular climate change variable might affect water system status or operations.

Some resources described in the Clearinghouse will overlap the categories described above. We anticipate that development of utility-specific plans and information may necessitate use of multiple tools.

Resources in this section are also classified in terms of their developmental lineage or origin. Tools in this section have been assigned to one of the three following categories:

Government Agency or Leading Research Institution: This designation indicates that a resource has been created or funded by a highly reputable climate change focused organization, such as a government research agency or a leading climate research institution. We believe these resources will provide users with peer-reviewed, comprehensive, and reliable datasets, models, and utility decision aids for assessing the impacts of climate change on water resources.
Cited or Used by Government Agency or Research Institution: This designation indicates that while a resource may not have been created by a government agency or climate research institution, it has been cited and/or used by such organizations for assessing climate change impacts.
Meets Use Criteria: This designation indicates that the lineage and quality of the resource is unknown. However, the resource has been included because it appears relevant to water utility needs.

Using this Section of the Clearinghouse

This section of the Clearinghouse is divided into three parts. Each part opens a tabular list that includes the following information (from left to right): Author or organizational producer of the resource; the name of the resource; its year of creation or publication; a short description of the resource, including its basic functionality and relevance for water utility application; a summary indication of the resource’s lineage and notes to guide user application; and a link to the resource.

To access resources, click one of the links found to the right.

Tools

Datasets

Models

Utility Decision Aids