Homework #2 Due 2/2

Why is understanding climate important for water resources engineering? (Half a page.)

Nearly every civil engineering project is exposed to the weather, and the climate in which a project is situated is the most important variable over which engineers have the least control. Temperature, humidity, wind, and other climatic conditions (especially their fluctuations) effect projects from groundbreaking and throughout the lives of the structures. The very design of water resources projects depends almost entirely on the climate of the region in which it is located. The amount, frequency, and distribution of precipitation, all of which are climate-dependent, is often the primary reason a water resources project is even needed.

Climate is the long-term pattern of temperature and precipitation variation and, along with the geography and geology of a region, determine the availability of water. Water resources engineering attempts to alter this availability, or mitigate its less desirable effects such as flooding, so an area is more favorable for human occupation. Climate determines what needs to be done to meet our needs and desire for water, and limits the alternatives available to solve water problems.

Understanding climate is key to understanding why and how to conduct water resources engineering to solve a problem people have with water in their environment. Whether the problem is flooding from too much water or drought from too little, or alternating periods of both of these conditions as is the case here in San Antonio, Texas, what you need to and even can do about it is only a response to this uncontrolled aspect of our environment.

— David Wagner 2007/01/31 14:46