Mountain environments are hydrologically complex due to their extreme heterogeneity and climatic gradients (spanning large latitudinal and altitudinal geographical extents) that lead to variable hydroclimate conditions. Across the region, the cryosphere is rapidly changing; these changes influence the timing and magnitude of surface flows, whereas changes in wetland and groundwater storage are uncertain. Confounding this uncertainty are the higher evapotranspiration rates in headwater catchments. Rapid climate and hydrological changes detrimentally impact Canada’s western mountains, and user communities can struggle to understand and adapt to this new reality.
Emerging water issues in the Mountain West region are diverse and include floods, droughts, power generation, other industrial uses such as mine water extraction and discharge, downstream flow supply for irrigation, in-stream ecological flow needs and water properties, tourism and recreation. Other user needs are associated with understanding and managing altered hydrology from fire, pests, and changing land cover, including shifting forests and shrubs across the domain. The project goal, which arises from the needs of government, hydropower generation, parks, agriculture, industry, and recreation is to improve our ability to predict future hydrological regimes, and plan appropriate adaptations in Canada’s western mountains. This will be addressed by studying six key themes across alpine and sub-alpine landscapes: mountain climate and extremes, the cryosphere, surface-groundwater interactions, vegetation change, wetlands, and integrated modelling.
Emerging water issues in the Mountain West region are diverse and include floods, droughts, power generation, other industrial uses such as mine water extraction and discharge, downstream flow supply for irrigation, in-stream ecological flow needs and water properties, tourism and recreation. Other user needs are associated with understanding and managing altered hydrology from fire, pests, and changing land cover, including shifting forests and shrubs across the domain. The project goal, which arises from the needs of government, hydropower generation, parks, agriculture, industry, and recreation is to improve our ability to predict future hydrological regimes, and plan appropriate adaptations in Canada’s western mountains. This will be addressed by studying six key themes across alpine and sub-alpine landscapes: mountain climate and extremes, the cryosphere, surface-groundwater interactions, vegetation change, wetlands, and integrated modelling.
If you're interested in seeing data from Mountain Water Futures research sites, you can access data products at http://ccrnetwork.ca/outputs/data/ or on the Global Water Futures Website here http://giws.usask.ca/meta/
One such data product, SnowCast, which estimates snowpack depth and snow water equivalent around the Bow River Basin centered over Banff, Canada, can be accessed at http://www.snowcast.ca/
One such data product, SnowCast, which estimates snowpack depth and snow water equivalent around the Bow River Basin centered over Banff, Canada, can be accessed at http://www.snowcast.ca/