Climate and hydrologic change across the Great Lakes region and other transboundary waters

Climate and hydrologic change across the Great Lakes region and other transboundary waters Scott Steinschneider, M. Altaf Arain, Paulin Coulibaly, Andrew Gronewold, and Gail Krantzberg, explore climate and hydrologic change across the Great Lakes region in North America and other transboundary waters. Hydroclimate extremes are transforming water landscapes in transboundary regions. These systems are particularly susceptible to hydroclimatic variability due to shared governance structures, interconnected ecosystems, and a wide range of water users. The Great Lakes basin – one of the world’s largest freshwater systems, shared by Canada, the United States, and numerous Indigenous sovereign nations – exemplifies how shifting hydroclimatic conditions are challenging conventional approaches to water management across borders. In this region, the impacts of these changes are evident in increased flooding, shoreline erosion, economic disruption, ecosystem stress, and rising uncertainty surrounding water availability and quality.