Climate change and the water towers of western Canada

山脉通常被称为“水塔”，因为由于地形的影响，它们接收的降雨量不成比例。它们还将淡水储存在季节性积雪和冰川中，这些水库提供融化的水，成为加拿大西部许多溪流和河流的源头。随着气候变化对淡水资源的需求不断增加，迫切需要更好地了解这些水塔在加拿大西部代表性流域(如奎斯奈尔河流域)的水文学中所起的作用。

Mountains are often referred to as "water towers" as they receive a disproportionate amount of precipitation owing to topographic effects. They also store freshwater in the seasonal snowpack and in glaciers, with these reservoirs providing meltwater that becomes the source of many streams and rivers of western Canada. With growing demands for freshwater resources in a changing climate, there is an urgent need to better understand the role of these water towers in the hydrology of representative watersheds of western Canada such as the Quesnel River Basin (QRB).