Atmospheric and terrestrial rivers of western Canada in transition

转型中的加拿大西部大气河流和陆地河流

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-04623
• 负责人: Dery, Stephen
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of Northern British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=709404
• 关键词: Atmospheric; terrestrial; rivers; western; Canada

Mountains are often referred to as 'water towers' as they receive a disproportionately high amount of precipitation owing to terrain influences. They also store freshwater in the seasonal snowpack and in glaciers, with these reservoirs providing meltwater that becomes the source of freshwater for many streams and rivers in western Canada. With growing demands for freshwater resources in a changing climate, there is an urgent need to better understand the role these water towers have in the hydrology of British Columbia's (BC's) Coast Mountain watersheds. The long-term goal of this research program is to quantify the changing role of snow and ice in the water cycle of watersheds situated in the mountainous terrain of western Canada. Through this research program, we aim to expand our existing network of weather stations to monitor the climate of BC's Coast Mountains at high elevations. This will contribute to some of the highest, long-term weather stations in western Canada as well as to a database suitable for climatic studies to be undertaken by three graduate students and one post-doctoral fellow. One project will examine the impact of so-called 'atmospheric rivers' on the region's seasonal snowpack and water resources. We will also explore whether climate change is affecting the frequency, intensity and timing of atmospheric rivers along BC's Pacific Coast. Another project will investigate streamflow trends in BC's Coast Mountain rivers and their relationships with regional climate, terrain and vegetation characteristics. A third project will use state-of-the art computer modelling to assess potential regime shifts in the hydrology of coastal BC rivers. The final study will investigate the role of recent warm sea-surface temperature anomalies in the northeastern Pacific Ocean on BC's hydrology. Thus, this work will give crucial information on the evolution of western Canada's 'water towers' and their contribution to freshwater resources in a changing climate.

山脉通常被称为“水塔”，因为它们受到地形影响而获得不成比例的大量降水。它们还将淡水储存在季节性积雪和冰川中，这些水库提供的融水成为加拿大西部许多溪流和河流的淡水来源。随着气候变化对淡水资源需求的不断增长，迫切需要更好地了解这些水塔在不列颠哥伦比亚省海岸山流域水文中的作用。 这项研究计划的长期目标是量化雪和冰在加拿大西部山区流域水循环中的作用。通过这项研究计划，我们的目标是扩大我们现有的气象站网络，以监测不列颠哥伦比亚省海岸山脉高海拔地区的气候。这将有助于加拿大西部一些最高的长期气象站以及一个适合于三名研究生和一名博士后研究员进行气候研究的数据库。其中一个项目将研究所谓的“大气河流”对该地区季节性积雪和水资源的影响。我们还将探讨气候变化是否会影响沿着不列颠哥伦比亚省太平洋海岸的大气河流的频率，强度和时间。另一个项目将调查不列颠哥伦比亚省海岸山区河流的径流趋势及其与区域气候、地形和植被特征的关系。第三个项目将使用最先进的计算机建模来评估BC省沿海河流水文的潜在状态变化。最后一项研究将调查东北太平洋最近温暖的海面温度异常对不列颠哥伦比亚水文的作用。因此，这项工作将提供有关加拿大西部“水塔”的演变及其在气候变化中对淡水资源的贡献的重要信息。