Effect of climate change on water availability in the Font D’Or catchment, Saint Lucia

The study uses the Kestrel-Integrated Hydrological Model and CARIWIG climate data to project river flows in Saint Lucia's Font D’Or catchment. Results from two climate models, Echam5 and HADCM3Q0, generally predict a decrease in surface water availability, with the most severe reductions occurring in the HADCM3Q0 scenarios. These decreases, particularly during the rainy season, threaten water supplies for the tourism and agriculture sectors.

• Hydrological modelling indicates that climate change is likely to cause a severe reduction in river flows for the Font D’Or catchment, with the most significant decreases expected during the wet season, potentially hindering the replenishment of water storage systems.
• The HADCM3Q0 climate model predicts more severe outcomes than the Echam5 model, suggesting a decrease in mean monthly flows across all future time horizons. The most extreme projected impact for HADCM3Q0 is in December, with mean monthly flow decreases ranging from 50% for 2011-2040 to 90% for 2071-2100.
• The Echam5 model predicts the greatest impact on river flows in February, with mean monthly flow decreases between 10% for the 2011-2040 horizon and 40% for the 2071-2100 horizon.
• Reduced surface water availability, as predicted by the models, could significantly impact the agriculture and tourism sectors, which are highly dependent on adequate water resources in a region already experiencing regular water outages due to population growth and tourism expansion.

APA

Boelee, L., & Counsell, C. (n.d.). Effect of climate change on water availability in the Font D’Or catchment, Saint Lucia. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Saint-Lucia-Watershed-Case-Study-by-HR-Wallingford.pdf

Chicago

Boelee, Leonore, and Chris Counsell. Effect of climate change on water availability in the Font D’Or catchment, Saint Lucia. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Saint-Lucia-Watershed-Case-Study-by-HR-Wallingford.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boelee |first1=Leonore |last2=Counsell |first2=Chris |title=Effect of climate change on water availability in the Font D’Or catchment, Saint Lucia |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Saint-Lucia-Watershed-Case-Study-by-HR-Wallingford.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boeleendeffect, author = {Boelee, Leonore and Counsell, Chris}, title = {{Effect of climate change on water availability in the Font D’Or catchment, Saint Lucia}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Saint-Lucia-Watershed-Case-Study-by-HR-Wallingford.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }