1.1. Definition of Environmental Fluid Mechanics

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1.1. Definition of Environmental Fluid Mechanics
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Environmental Fluid Mechanics Example London
smog of 1952
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Classification of Fluid Mechanics
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1.2. Atmosphere
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Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere
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1.3. Climate Change
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(Campbell and Norman, 1998)
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(Dingman, 2002)
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(Dingman, 2002)
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Incoming radiation
Outgoing radiation
absorbed radiation
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Schematic of Greenhouse Effect
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Impacts on California
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Climate predictions
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The California coast is likely to face rather
dramatic sea-level rises that may threaten its
shoreline and its estuaries.
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As a result of even the coolest of these
projections, by the middle of the 21st Century,
we expect earlier snowmelts and major reductions
in snowpacks of the Sierra Nevada
SIERRA NEVADA
CENTRAL VALLEY
No snow left
Most snow left
from Noah Knowles Cayan, GRL, 2002
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Iris Stewart et al., 2004
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Historical streamflow trends already observed
Stewart et al., 2004
Dettinger and Cayan, 1995 Cayan et al., 2001
CT Center Timing
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With the timing changes will come more severe
winter floods
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and, with runoff leaving basins earlier,
summer conditions will be much drier, summer
streamflow will decline, wildfire risks may
increase.
Simulated Soil Wetness

Water stored in soil, inches
Dettinger et al., 2004
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But what about precipitation? Climate models
provide little consensus regarding the future of
precipitation in the West, although most yield
little change.
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California GHG Emissions
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Western U.S. electrical consumption
California consumes 40 of

total in Western 11
States Per capita use in California is
relatively low-- presumably owing to moderate
climate
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