CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON WATER RESOURCES

In the global Earth system everything is connected to everything else. Water partakes in large-scale processes of mass and energy transfer between the atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces. The climate influences the hydrological cycle and the water resources; and the other way round - the hydrological cycle and the water resources influence the climate. However, there are multiple non-climatic factors affecting the water resources. There is no doubt that the climate has warmed in all spatial scales. Intensification of the greenhouse effect, temperature growth and changes of other climate characteristics have already influenced the water resources and further, stronger, changes are anticipated. Assessment of results of analyses of observations and model-based projections for the future is presented as well as some reflections on adaptation of water resources to climate change. The presented material incorporates the recent results contained in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).