The low streamflows seen throughout much of New England this
April do not foreshadow a summer drought, as researchers have
determined summer rainfall plays a bigger role than snowmelt
runoff in determining streamflows in the summer. In a new report
by the U.S. Geological Survey, scientists also looked at how
streamflow during April is influenced by both winter air
temperature and precipitation. They concluded that April
streamflow is more sensitive to changes in temperature than to
changes in winter precipitation in southern New England. While
streamflow in April is more sensitive to changes in temperature,
summer streamflows are more dependent on precipitation.
Understanding the sensitivity of streamflow to climatic
variation is important because people and aquatic ecosystems are
dependent upon water supplies, particularly in summer low-flow
seasons. "This valuable scientific investigation demonstrates
the ability of USGS researchers to rapidly respond to a sudden
and troubling anomaly, in this case southern