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<br />r <br /> <br />in a 9% decrease in mean annual runoff. Our results show a 7% decrease in mean annual runoff for a 'Z C <br /> <br /> <br />temperature rise and an 8% increase in potential evapotranspiration (refer to Table 8), which is in close <br /> <br /> <br />agreement with the results from Schaake. For the range of scenarios presented here, mean annual runoff <br /> <br /> <br />changes nearly linearly with precipitation, although this relationship begins to break down as precipitation <br /> <br /> <br />increases by 20% at which point runoff begins to increase relatively faster. Results from Schaake indicate <br /> <br /> <br />that, in the absence of temperature and potential evapotranspiration increases, this non-linearity occurs for <br /> <br /> <br />a precipitation increase of only 10%, which causes a corresponding increase in runoff of 19%. Overall. our <br /> <br /> <br />results are within the range reported by other investigators for semi-arid river basins (Table 10). <br /> <br />The results derived from GCM scenarios fall within the range established by the hypothetical <br /> <br />scenarios. Of the three GCMs, the GFDL model (T + 4.9' C, P + 0) results in the most extreme decreases in <br /> <br />runoff for all basins (-10% to -24%) because it predicts a relatively large regional temperature increase and <br /> <br />no change in precipitation. The least extreme effects are generated by either the UKMO 1 or the GISS 1 <br /> <br />grid point, which incorporate respective increases in precipitation of 30% and 20% and lead to increases <br /> <br />in runoff of 0 to 10%. Overall, however, the GCM scenarios suggest that decreases in runoff are much more <br /> <br />likely than increases in this region. This is consistent with the work of Rind, et al. (1990), who have <br /> <br />analyzed the frequency of droughts using GCM outputs other than soil moisture and have found increased <br /> <br />drying. Moreover, it is only the GCM grid points which incorporate large increases in precipitation (20 to <br /> <br />30%) in which runoff does not decrease. The greater uncertainty associated with precipitation changes <br /> <br />should be kept in mind. All the GCM scenarios suggest large regional increases in temperature. which <br /> <br />would lead to decreased runoff, unless offset by precipitation increases of 20% or more. <br /> <br />The GISS transient scenario implies increases in runoff in all three sub-basins and in the Two- <br /> <br />elevation model. These range from 4% in the White River basin to 12% in the Animas River basin. In <br /> <br /> <br />contrast, the GISS equilibrium scenarios imply decreases in runoff of -8% to -14%, except on the White River <br /> <br /> <br />where runoff increases by 10%. This suggests the potential for short-term increases in runoff (due to <br /> <br />35 <br />