The present and future water resources within the Nordic Region were mapped within the Nordic research project Climate and Energy (CE) (2003-2006) funded by the Nordic Energy Research, the Nordic energy sector and national institutions of the participating countries. A set of common maps of water resources under present and future conditions based on climate scenarios and hydrological modeling techniques were produced (Beldring et al., 2006). The maps were based on four regional climate scenarios, resulting from two atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs), each forced with two greenhouse gas emission emission scenarios (A2 and B2). However, since the report was published, the maps for Iceland have been updated based on a re-calibration of the WaSiM-ETH hydrological model used for Iceland (Fenger, 2007; Jóhannesson et al., 2007; Jónsdóttir, 2007).The strong relationship between electricity production and runoff in the Nordic countries makes evaluation of runoff changes under a changing climate essential for future assessments of the hydropower production potential. The maps shown here for individual region may serve as a foundation for such assessments.

Beldring, S. et al. Mapping Water Resources in the NordicRegion Under a Changing Climate. CE-3, Hydrological Service, National Energy Authorities, Reykjavík.

Fenger, J. (ed.) (2007). Impacts of Climate Change on Renewable Energy Sources: Their role in the Nordic energy system. Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen.

Jóhannesson, T. et al. (eds) (2007). Effect on climate change on hydrology and hydro-resources in Iceland. Reykjavík. National Energy Authority.

Jónsdóttir, J.F. (2007). Water resources in Iceland. Impacts of climate variability and climate change. Report No 1038, Ph. D. Dissertation, Lund Univeristy.