Ecohydrological regulation of forest hillslope and catchment runoff

落基山脉的森林地区生产加拿大西部和美国的绝大多数区域供水，气候变化对这些供水的潜在影响是整个北美的一个主要战略问题，因为降雨/降雪量的预测变化和对这些森林健康的气候压力，包括野火，疾病和昆虫袭击以及风暴破坏造成的自然干扰增加。高山积雪的积累和融化是该地区供水的关键调节因素，降水量变化和森林健康对该地区水文的潜在相互影响目前尚不确定。虽然最近的研究主要集中在了解调节水文对气候变化的敏感性或恢复力的因素以及区域间土地扰动的影响，但落基山脉地区对气候变化和扰动的水文恢复力目前尚不清楚。 这项研究的目的是提高对森林林分条件（树种、密度、树冠结构）对气候和天气的差异作出反应，共同调节该地区的水文，以更好地了解和预测该地区产生的水如何受到气候变化的影响。（并且已经造成）与气候有关的自然干扰增加（野火、昆虫袭击等）或森林健康的其他变化。 具体的研究将探讨如何不同的森林条件，目前在寒冷的北面临的，或温暖的南面临的斜坡产生不同的水文响应雨和雪，以及这些响应，反过来，如何产生水文敏感性的差异，气候变化和土地扰动。需要这些信息来制定保护和管理这些森林的战略，以帮助减轻气候变化的影响，帮助确保该地区重要的关键供水的安全。

Forested regions of the Rocky Mountains produce the vast majority regional water supplies in western Canada and the U.S. and potential impacts climate change on these water supplies is a major strategic concern across North America because of both projected changes in rainfall/snowfall and climate pressures on the health of these forests including increasing natural disturbances by wildfire, disease and insect attack, and storm damage. Accumulation and melting of deep mountain snowpacks is a key regulator of water supplies from this region and the potential interacting effects of both changing precipitation and forest health on hydrology of this region are currently highly uncertain. While much recent research is focused on understanding the factors regulating hydrologic sensitivity or resilience to climate change and impacts of land disturbance among regions, the hydrologic resilience to climate change and disturbance in the Rocky Mountain region is presently unclear. The objectives of this research are to improve understanding of how forest stand conditions (tree species, density, canopy structure) of forests respond to differences in climate and weather and collectively regulate the hydrology of this region to better understand and predict how water produced from this region may be affected as shifting climates cause (and are already causing) increased natural disturbances related to climate (wildfire, insect attack, etc.) or other changes in forest health. Specific studies will examine how different forest conditions present on cooler north facing, or warmer south facing slopes produce different hydrologic responses to rain and snow, and how these responses, in turn, produce differences in hydrologic sensitivity to climate change and land disturbance. This information is needed to develop strategies for the protection and management of these forests to help mitigate effects of climate change to help ensure security of important critical water supplies from this region.