REGIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE: PRECIPITATION AND RUNOFF IN SOUTHWEST ENGLAND

This study is concerned with investigating regional climate change in the Southwest of England. The project specifically examines the relationship of rainfall and runoff with a perspective on high flows and flood activity. Reasoning for the study is based on the inadequacies emerging from the current literature arid chmate models of tiie UK. The project aimed to offer more accurate findings of the observed rainfall/runoff relationship in the region, by placing an emphasis on the temporal and spatial resolution of the data collected. Main findings suggest that current projections have generally grasped the fundamental directions of change in the region. However, it was shown that the region differed fi^om projections in its response to a changed climate in the form of precipitation. A brief introduction to the region's future was made in relation to the observed findings. Conclusions were made concerning the need to appreciate the range in which daily and seasonal amounts can vary in the region. A dimension of uncertainty and unpredictability was highlighted for the region based on previous expectations