ABSTRACT
Global climate change is under way. Even with sustained efforts to reduce climate change worldwide, Florida will likely experience significant effects of climate change in this century. Climate change impacts may have profound effects on Florida water resources and pose new challenges for the state’s unique water management system. Florida is likely to face changes in rainfall patterns, more intense tropical storms, more frequent or more severe droughts, higher sea levels, greater saltwater intrusion into aquifers, saltier estuaries, heightened demand for water and many changes in the state’s varied ecosystems. In order to respond to these potential impacts, both mitigation and adaptation strategies are needed to promote efficient use of limited resources.
