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Shasta Trinity National Forest Watershed Vulnerability Assessment, Pacific Southwest Region (R5)<br />

Figure 14. Thermal exposure of streams on the Shasta-Trinity NF<br />

Watershed Sensitivity and Resiliency<br />

Numerous factors were considered in the assessment of what might modify potential changes to<br />

hydrologic factors. Of these, two factors were thought to be most important. These are the percentage of<br />

each watershed where snow is the dominate runoff process, and the percentage of each watershed<br />

composed of geologies where groundwater is a primary influence.<br />

Groundwater Influence<br />

Though future changes in precipitation will affect all geologies, areas with groundwater influence are less<br />

likely to be rapidly altered by climatic influences and should supply more reliable water sources. Because<br />

infiltration rates are relatively high in such areas, they buffer changes to runoff timing, and increased<br />

water temperature. The percentage of a hydrologic unit that contains volcanic basalt or limestone was<br />

used to represent areas that are ground dominated systems with limited surface water flows and a<br />

tempered/ delayed hydrologic response.<br />

198 Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change

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