Baseflow (groundwater flowing to streams) is estimated to contribute over 50% of the total streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin and is thus crucial for sustaining ecological and human water needs in this highly managed area. Baseflow may be sensitive to changing climate, but the sensitivity is not well constrained. To estimate baseflow response to climate change, we tested how warm/wet, median, and hot/dry future climate scenarios affect baseflow in the basin using a hydrologic model.

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