Mapping water resources in the Nordic region under changing climate

Mapping water resources in the Nordic region under changing climate Maps of water resources for the Nordic region under present (1961-1990) and future (2071-2100) conditions have been produced using the hydrological models HBV and WaSiM-ETH. The maps have been assembled from simulations performed in Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden using models from the hydrological institutes of each country. Although model structure, process parameterisation, input data and spatial resolution vary, the maps present a relatively consistent view of hydrological conditions in the Nordic region. Present conditions were assembled from a control run using observed meteorological data. Future conditions were based on simulations from the global climate models HadAM3H and ECHAM4/OPYC3 with the IPCC SRES A2 and B2 emission scenarios. The global climate model results were downscaled using the Rossby Centre RCAO regional climate model, with the exception of Iceland where the RegClim HIRHAM regional climate model was used. Present and future conditions for hydrological state variables and fluxes are shown. In particular, there are maps presenting annual and seasonal runoff, annual evaporation, annual maximum snow water equivalent, number of days per year with snow covered ground, and annual maximum soil moisture deficit.