The Forests to Faucets 2.0. Percent Change in Water Yield (2010–2040, RCP 8.5). data projects the percent change in mean annual water yield in the future. This layer is an integration of watersheds that are predicted to have a decrease in water quantity under future climate scenarios integrated with the watersheds important to surface drinking water and having the ability to produce clean water. This layer is part of the larger Forests to Faucets 2.0 project whose purpose is to quantify, rank, and illustrate the geographic connection between forests and other natural cover (private and public), surface drinking water supplies, and the populations that depend on them–the ecosystem service of water supply. The Forests to Faucets 2.0 assessment evaluated four potential threats to important surface drinking water watersheds including fire, insects and disease, land use change, and reduced water yield due to a changing climate. Using data from a variety of existing sources and maps generated through GIS analyses, the project uses maps and statistics to describe the relative importance of private forests and National Forest System lands to surface drinking water supplies across the United States. Scenario = RCP 8.5-SSP5 from the HadGEM2-ES365 general circulation model (https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/63723). Methods and further information are available here - https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/4e450a6c7ed24f0cbae4abc1c07843b7?item=4.

Spatial Extent: CONUS

Scale: HUC12

Units: Percent