Data from: Carbon emissions exacerbating the western US water crisis
Data files
Jul 06, 2026 version files 4.09 GB
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by_huc.zip
4.99 MB
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gridded.zip
4.08 GB
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groundwater_actual_cf.csv
14.55 KB
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README.md
3.38 KB
Abstract
This dataset accompanies "Carbon Emissions Exacerbating the Western US Water Crisis." It includes all data required to reproduce the figures and main findings in the manuscript. Specifically, it includes monthly gridded estimates for the western United States of snow water equivalent, streamflow, and irrigation demand, as well as spatial aggregates of these variables by basins. Additionally, it includes estimates of groundwater for California's Central Valley. For each variable, several scenarios are provided: the observed, 'actual' scenario, as well as several counterfactual scenarios: without anthropogenic climate change (ACC), and without emissions traceable to Carbon Majors after 1854, 1950, and 1990. The counterfactual scenarios represent what these variables would have been without different forcing scenarios. Data were created following the methods section of Williams et al. (2026).
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.v6wwpzh8t
Description of the data and file structure
File: gridded.zip
Description: Gridded, monthly SWE, streamflow, and irrigation demand. Observed ("actual") values are provided, as well as counterfactuals for different historical emissions scenarios: without anthropogenic climate change, and Carbon Majors emissions after 1854, 1950, and 1990 (ACC, CM1854, CM1950, CM1990). For each counterfactual, five estimates are provided: the mean, and the 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile values.
Format: .tif
File naming convention:
- VAR_actual.tif : the "actual" (i.e. using observed data) values
- VAR: Variable (swe, q, irrigation_demand)
- VAR_cf_SCEN_CI.tif : the "counterfactual" (i.e. using counterfactual data) values
- VAR: Variable (swe, q, irrigation_demand)
- SCEN: Emissions scenario (ACC, CM1854, CM1950, CM1990)
- CI: Uncertainty parameter (mean, 10th, 25th, 75th, 95th percentile)
Variables and units: snow water equivalent (SWE, mm), streamflow (q, mm), and irrigation demand (mm).
File: by_huc.zip
Description: Spatially aggregated snow water equivalent (swe), streamflow (q), and irrigation demand, by basin. Two basin levels are provided: hydrologic unit code (HUC) level 2 and level 4. For each year (1980-2024), values are provided for different scenarios: total observed ("obs") and counterfactuals: without anthropogenic climate change, and Carbon Majors emissions after 1854, 1950, and 1990 (ACC, CM1854, CM1950, CM1990). For each counterfactual, five estimates are provided: the mean, and the 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile values.
Format: .csv
File naming convention:
- Annual values: VAR_SEA_by_HUC.csv
- VAR: Variable (swe, q, irrigation_demand)
- SEA: Seasonal aggregate. SWE is April 1, streamflow is warm season total (April-September), irrigation demand is annual total (January-December).
- HUC: HUC level 2 or 4
- Monthly values: monthly_VAR_by_huc4.csv
- VAR: Variable (swe, q, irrigation_demand)
Variables and units: snow water equivalent (SWE, mm), streamflow (q, mm), and irrigation demand (mm).
File: groundwater_actual_cf.csv
Description: Actual and counterfactual groundwater estimates for the Central Valley of California. For each year (2003-2024), cumulative groundwater change is provided for different scenarios: total observed ("obs"), environmentally-driven observed ("obs_climonly"), and counterfactuals: without anthropogenic climate change, and Carbon Majors emissions after 1854, 1950, and 1990 (ACC, CM1854, CM1950, CM1990). For each counterfactual, five estimates are provided: the mean, and the 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile values.
Format: .csv
File naming convention: N/A
Variables and units: groundwater (km3)
Scenario naming conventions:
- "Observed", "actual" = The fields calculated using observed values
- ACC = The fields calculated using counterfactual input values. Counterfactuals here are in a world without all anthropogneic climate change (ACC)
- CMYYYY = The fields calculated using counterfactual input values. Counterfactuals here are in a world without all Carbon Majors emissions after YYYY (1854, 1950, or 1990)