Groundwater and surface water responses to climate change within Canadian Arctic and Great Lakes basins

我的研究计划的总体目标是对气候变化对我们的地表水和地下水资源的影响提供新的见解和更好的量化。我将重点放在两个项目上。第一个项目将调查加拿大北极和亚北极地区的地下水和地表水将如何应对全球变暖。重点是量化水文、岩土、永冻土对大气温度和太阳变化的生物地球化学响应。第二个项目调查伊利湖流域悬浮泥沙负荷和相关污染物如何受到地下水-地表水相互作用的控制，以及这些联系如何受到人为和气候因素的影响。作为永冻土水文地质研究的中心，加拿大创新基金会(CFI)资助(65万美元)的气候室将再现加拿大北极的太阳和大气环境。该方法是首先在气候和生态敏感的麦肯齐河流域选择一个采样点，并测试提取方法。2007年，一块永久冻土整体(直径1.5米，4米深)将被提取，并由冷藏卡车运输到西部的气候室。然后，研究将集中于永冻土的水文地质、岩土和生物地球化学性质如何随着不同的大气强迫(太阳、气温、降水、与已公布的气候变化情景一致。因此，确定加拿大北极生态系统将如何应对气候变化是至关重要的。例如，伊利湖流域的研究始于2004年，一个实地项目测量了壶溪流域的悬浮泥沙浓度。壶溪流域是污染沉积物重新动员对人类健康和生态风险的一个典型例子。*将开发一个数值流域模型，预测土地管理措施对该流域水、沉积物和农业化学品产量的影响。2005年秋季，大河流域的工作开始。所有伊利湖流域都将遵循类似的程序，直到开发出完整的流域模型。随着人类活动和气候导致的流域沉积物发生变化，相关污染物将继续重新动员，并对人类和生态系统健康产生负面影响。这项研究最终将使这种风险得以预测和管理。

The overall objective of my research program is to provide new insight and better quantification of the effects of climate change on our surface and groundwater resources.  I will focus on two projects.  The first project will investigate how the groundwater and surface water of Canada's Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions will respond to global warming.  The focus is on quantifying the hydrologic, geotechnical, and biogeochemical response of permafrost to atmospheric temperature and solar variations.  The second project investigates how suspended sediment loads and associated contaminants in the Lake Erie watershed are controlled by groundwater-surface water interactions and how these linkages are affected by anthropogenic and climatic factors.             Central to the permafrost hydrogeology research is a Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) funded ($650,000) climate chamber which will reproduce the Canadian Arctic solar and atmospheric environment.  The approach is to first select a sampling site in the climate and ecologically sensitive Mackenzie River Basin and test extraction methods.  In 2007 a permafrost monolith (1.5 m diameter, 4 m depth) will be extracted and transported by refrigerated truck to the climate chamber at Western.  Research will then focus on how the hydrogeological, geotechnical, and biogeochemical properties of permafrost change with varying atmospheric forcing (solar, air temperature, precipitation, CO2) consistent with published climate change scenarios.  It is critical to determine how Canada's Arctic ecosystems will respond to climate change.        The Lake Erie basin research started in 2004 with a field program measuring suspended sediment concentrations in the Kettle Creek watershed.  The Kettle Creek watershed is a prime example where the re-mobilization of contaminated sediment is posing human health and ecological risks.  A numerical watershed model will be developed that predicts the impact of land management practices on water, sediment, and agricultural chemical yields in the watershed.  In fall 2005 work began on the Grand River watershed, and similar procedures will be followed for all Lake Erie subwatersheds until a complete basin model is developed.  As anthropogenic and climate induced changes occur in the watershed sediment associated contaminants will continue to be re-mobilized and negatively affect human and ecosystem health.  This research will ultimately allow the prediction and management of this risk.