Changes east to west: Breaking down the climate report by region By Mariano Castillo: May 7, 2014 A number of themes emerge from the regional reports included in the National Climate Assessment -- things like risks to infrastructure due to rising oceans both benefits and harm to agricultural production because of changing temperature, and new realities for cooling and heating costs. Find your geographic region below and see how these issues specifically affect where you live, according to the report. NORTHWEST If you live in the Northwest, you can appreciate how vital the snow accumulation in the mountains is. It melts in spring to provide water for hydropower plants and irrigation for crops. But as seasonal water patterns change, caused in part by changes in snowmelt, the region's diverse ecology and geography can face challenges. New push on climate change White House: Expect droughts, fires Climate change: 10 countries most at risk Climate change: 10 countries most at risk The impacts of climate change will be strongly felt along the coast -- an area important for the region's economy. People's livelihoods, recreational areas and infrastructure could be affected by rising sea levels. At the same time, wildfires are expected to increase. White House: Climate change is here, action needed now Examples from report: -- "Since around 1950, area-averaged snowpack on April 1 in the Cascade Mountains decreased about 20%, spring snowmelt occurred 0 to 30 days earlier depending on location, late winter/early spring streamflow increases ranged from 0% to greater than 20% as a fraction of annual flow, and summer flow decreased 0% to 15% as a fraction of annual flow, with exceptions in smaller areas and shorter time periods." -- As sea levels rise, coastal areas of Washington and Oregon will flood more often. Beaches and habitats will probably decline in these areas. -- "Climate change will alter Northwest forests by increasing wildfire risk and insec