Linking regional climate change to drought risk perception and adaptation in rural Wyoming communities

Abstract

Droughts enhanced by climate change impact water resources in the Western United States, which in turn, impact vulnerable, rural communities. Wyoming provides a unique geographic and cultural study area, as it contains headwaters of three major river basins (Snake/Columbia, Green/Colorado, and Platte/ Mississippi) and many rural communities. Drought and water resource issues run deep through Wyoming’s rural communities and economy, with impacts that also flow into neighboring states with regional and national implications. Many of Wyoming's rural residents rely on variable precipitation for their livelihoods, especially for the state’s top three industries: energy, tourism, and agriculture. Increasing temperatures have led to early spring melt, reduced runoff, and diminished late season flow. Rural communities must adapt to changes in water availability, even if precipitation is variable and uncertain. This research investigates the relationship between seasonal precipitation variability during drought years in the Green, Snake, and the Upper Platte headwaters and identifies drought risk perceptions of local rural communities. We use a mixed-methods research design that blends quantitative (e.g. analyses of climate and survey data) and qualitative (e.g. coding of focus groups) approaches. We investigated precipitation variability and community drought-risk perceptions on temporal and spatial scales in Wyoming. Additionally, such trans-disciplinary approaches—novel to the earth sciences—are applicable to other environmental hazards (fire, floods) and represent collaborative tools for the development of community resiliency in the face of climate change.