CLIMATIC VARIATION IN CALIFORNIA: LOOKING AHEAD TO 2000 AD

Temperature scenarios to 2000 AD for three regions in Califronia are given together with rationales for their realization. It is shown that urban and rural areas have had, and will continue to have, different time traces of temperature. Further, the time traces of temperature to the year 2000 AD will be a composite of natural causative factors and human impact. The implications of changing temperatures on selected economic activities, and the changing variability in precipitation are discussed. It is concluded that the probability of occurrence of severely dry and severely wet rainy seasons is sufficiently high to warrant an explicit incorporation of climate in future planning within the state.