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risks of climate change. This project will also contribute to Colorado's Statewide Water <br /> Supply Initiative (SWSI) that has the overall objective to help the state maintain an <br /> adequate water supply for its citizens and the environment. The Western Governors' <br /> Association's report, "Water Needs and Strategies for a Sustainable Future," also calls for <br /> analysis and information sharing between scientists, policymakers, and water users to <br /> support preparations for climate change impacts. <br /> As a first step to support the actions in the Governor's plan, this project will develop a <br /> report outlining the physical, i.e., climate and hydrology, impacts of climate change on <br /> Colorado's water supplies. The state is fortunate to be home to many experts in climate <br /> and hydrology, so the report process will draw on these to form a core Project Team to <br /> produce the report and a Technical Work Group (TWG). <br /> After an initial planning meeting of the Project Team (Task 1), we will convene a <br /> meeting of the Technical Work Group to discuss the current science and contribute to the <br /> report (Task 2). The Project Team includes several scientists who have ongoing work <br /> that can be analyzed to provide results specific to Colorado (Task 3); this Team will also <br /> be responsible to prepare a draft based on input from the TWG (Task 4 & 5) and to be <br /> reviewed by the TWG at a second meeting (Task 6). The Project team will incorporate <br /> comments into the Final Draft (Task 7), which is the final deliverable of this Statement of <br /> Work (Task 8). This document is expected to be about 30 pages. Under a separate SOW <br /> in FY 2009, the draft will be reviewed by additional technical experts as well as water <br /> managers, planners and policymakers, and to ensure that the document is appropriate for <br /> their needs. Topics for report include the following: <br /> • A literature review of relevant climate and hydroclimatology studies <br /> • An overview of climate models and theory that situates Colorado in the context of <br /> global climate change and describes how the unique features of the state -- such as <br /> the complex topography -- relate to interpreting and using climate change <br /> projections. <br /> • Observations and trends in temperatures and precipitation (rain and snowpack) in <br /> different regions of Colorado; <br /> • Observed changes in precipitation features (such as changes seasonal timing, <br /> snowfall vs. rainfall, frequency, intensity, and spatial distribution); <br /> • Timing of snowmelt and changes in timing and amounts of water flows; <br /> • Observations and projections of evaporation, dryness, and soil moisture; <br /> • Detected and projected changes in climate variability, including changes in <br /> extreme weather events (such as droughts, floods, and extreme precipitation events); <br /> • Analysis of model projections, e.g., hydroclimatic implications of temperature <br /> trend and temperature projections; <br /> • Analysis of existing results for information specific to Colorado and the Interior <br /> west <br /> • An overview of and early results of several ongoing research efforts that may <br /> contribute in the near term to our understanding of climate change in Colorado, <br /> including climate modeling efforts with projections for Colorado, regional climate <br />