204 Engineering Response to Climate Change
5.4.7 Habitat
Aquatic and riparian ecosystems will change and may be dramatically altered
in response to climate change. First, as noted elsewhere in this chapter, cli-
mate change will likely result in a change in reservoir operating rules, which
may result in either enlarged or decreased riparian areas around and down-
stream of the reservoir. A fundamental concern would be the stability of the
“new” riparian areas. If climate change includes long periods of drought fol-
lowed by long wet periods, the reservoir riparian areas may never become
fully developed, from an ecologic viewpoint, or hydraulically connected to
the stream in the downstream reaches. Second, signicant changes in reser-
voir operati ...