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Attachment 6 Changes in the water cycle, which are consistent with the warming observed over the past several decades, include: • changes in precipitation patterns and intensity • changes in the incidence of drought • widespread melting of snow and ice • increasing atmospheric water vapor • increasing evaporation • increasing water temperatures • reductions in lake and river ice • changes in soil moisture and runoff For the future, marked regional differences are projected, with increases in annual precipitation, runoff, and soil moisture in much of the Midwest and Northeast, and declines in much of the West, especially the Southwest. Skagit River and surrounding mountains in the Northwest The impacts of climate change include too little wa- ter in some places, too much water in other places, and degraded water quality. Some locations are ex- pected to be subject to all of these conditions during different times of the year. Water cycle changes are expected to continue and to adversely affect energy production and use, human health, transportation, agriculture, and ecosystems (see table on page 50).14' (:Iii �uruilp'c� IIii as aIir(M(Jy Illtc� urc� c]1 �uruicl9 ii III III r:oirit;iiiuuriiuu( to aulllt( ur, t;llu at( it c r::lie, fft :ut;iii ouruul„ wlu ir(:�, l u urii, au urii x°1 how ui'' uu r: li autcflr is au auiiilllauJll Iii f6ir aullllll us( . Substantial changes to the water cycle are expected as the planet warms because the movement of water in the atmosphere and oceans is one of the primary mechanisms for the redistribution of heat around the world. Evidence is mounting that human - induced climate change is already altering many of the exist- ing patterns of precipitation in the United States, including when, where, how much, and what kind of precipitation falls .61,14' A warmer climate increases evaporation of water from land and sea, and allows more moisture to be held in the atmosphere. For ev- ery PF rise in temperature, the water holding capac- ity of the atmosphere increases by about 4 percent .49 41