Twentieth-century decline in streamflows from the hydrographic apex of North America

Rood, Stewart B.; Samuelson, Glenda M.; Weber, Joe; Wywrot, K.A.

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2004.09.010

Cited by 157 publications

(225 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…A shift to lower snowpacks in the Smoky River basin since the 1970s (Prowse and Conly, 1998;Romolo et al, 2006) may signify the beginning of a trend towards lower headwater discharge during the spring melt. Other evidence suggests that this trend towards lower snowpacks will continue (Lapp et al, 2005;Rood et al, 2005), suggesting further reductions in flood frequency in the SRD in the coming decades, as has also been suggested for the PAD (Wolfe et al, 2008a).…”

Section: Concluding Commentsmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…In the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD; Figure 1), land users report less frequent and extensive spring flooding, declining lake levels and loss of habitat for waterfowl and muskrat. However, investigation of these concerns is hindered by northern Canada's spatially-limited network of river gauge stations and short duration of hydrometric records (Shiklomanov et al, 2002;Kane, 2005;Rood et al, 2005;Schindler and Donahue, 2006;Prowse, 2009). Longer hydrological records beyond those available from hydrometric stations in this region are needed to evaluate natural variability in river discharge-knowledge that is essential for informed management of water resources (Sear and Arnell, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Flood Frequency Variability During the Past 80 Years in the Slave River Delta, NWT, as Determined from Multi-Proxy Paleolimnological Analysis

Brock¹,

Martin²,

Mongeon³

et al. 2010

Canadian Water Resources Journal

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A paleolimnological approach was employed to reconstruct variations in the frequency of spring break-up flooding in the Slave River Delta during the past ~80 years based on multi-proxy analyses (geochemistry, diatoms, plant macrofossils) of a sediment core from a shallow, flood-prone lake in the active delta. Results reveal oscillating decadal-scale intervals of high and low flood frequency. The post-1960 reconstruction of Slave River flood frequency parallels variations in measured Slave River discharge and corresponds to the flood history derived from observations of land users. Notably, the interval of lowest water levels inferred from a peak sedimentary abundance of Sagittaria cuneata seeds pre-dates upstream regulation of the Peace River in 1968. Multi-proxy records reveal that the onset of river regulation coincided with a period of increased flood frequency beginning in the early 1960s and ending in the early 1980s. It is therefore unlikely that river regulation is the primary factor causing declines in the frequency of spring break-up floods at the study site. Furthermore, the flood record developed in the Slave River Delta parallels similar changes in flood frequency from an oxbow lake in the northern Peace sector of the upstream Peace-Athabasca Delta. This suggests that climate-driven change in the runoff regime of the upper Mackenzie River Basin is likely the principle driver of variability in flood frequency in both deltas. Continued reductions in snowpacks and headwater runoff are therefore likely to reduce the frequency of flooding in the Slave River Delta.Résumé : Une approche paléolimnologique a été employée pour reconstituer les variations dans la fréquence des inondations attribuables aux débâcles du printemps dans le delta de la rivière Slave au cours des 80 dernières années, plus ou moins, en fonction d'analyses « multi-proxy » de diverses données indirectes (géochimie, diatomées, macrofossiles de plantes) d'une carotte de sédiments provenant d'un lac peu profond et sujet aux inondations dans le delta actif. Les résultats révèlent des intervalles à l'échelle décadaire oscillant entre une fréquence de crue élevée et faible. La reconstitution postérieure à 1960 de la fréquence de crue de la rivière Slave permet d'établir un parallèle avec les variations dans le débit mesuré 282 Canadian Water Resources Journal/Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques

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Section: Concluding Commentsmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flood Frequency Variability During the Past 80 Years in the Slave River Delta, NWT, as Determined from Multi-Proxy Paleolimnological Analysis

Brock¹,

Martin²,

Mongeon³

et al. 2010

Canadian Water Resources Journal

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“…The effect is stronger on the BC coast than in the interior; it is also stronger in the south than in the north, with no effect discernable in the Yukon. Rood et al (2005) found a significant negative association between the interannual variations of PDO and streamflow for rivers draining the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Alberta-BC-Montana border. This relation with PDO was superimposed on a longer term declining trend.…”

Section: Streamflowmentioning

confidence: 84%

Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Hydroclimatology of Western Canada—Review and Prospects

Whitfield¹,

Moore²,

Fleming³

et al. 2010

Canadian Water Resources Journal

113

127

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Abstract:The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a large-scale climate system feature that influences the surface climate and hydrology of western North America. In this paper, we review the literature describing the PDO and demonstrate its effects on temperature, precipitation, snowfall, glacier mass balance, and streamflow with a focus on western Canada, and particularly British Columbia. We review how the PDO index was developed and discuss other North Pacific climate patterns that resemble the PDO. The impacts of PDO on glacier mass balance and streamflow from retrospective studies are also reviewed and illustrated with specific examples from BC. We assess the current state of knowledge regarding the PDO and provide a critical assessment of its use in hydroclimatology. This information should provide insight on the sensitivity of projects to climatic variability.

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“…Global warming is expected to dramatically alter the timing and quantity of water within the nation's river systems (Barnett et al 2005, Rood et al 2005, Marshall and Randhir 2008. These changes are driven by temperature and variation in the form, location and amount of precipitation that will affect the temporal and spatial distribution of river source water over time, but the impact on any specific river will be dependent on many other factors such as land use (Garcia-Ruiz et al 2011), and flowpaths and geology Grant 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Willamette River Basin surface water isoscape (δ¹⁸O and δ²H): temporal changes of source water within the river

et al. 2012

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Citation: Brooks, J. R., P. J. Wigington, Jr., D. L. Phillips, R. Comeleo, and R. Coulombe. 2012 H) of river and stream water within the southern Willamette River Basin in western Oregon over two years. Within this basin, eighty-four percent of the isotopic variation in small tributary streams was explained by the mean elevation of the catchments, whereas seasonal variation was minimal. However, water within the Willamette River had distinct isotopic seasonal patterns that likely occurred because of changes in the mean elevation of source water for the river. River isotopic values were lowest during summer low flow and highest during February/March when snow accumulated in the mountains. We estimated that the mean elevation of the source water for the Willamette River shifted over 700 m, seasonally. During winter when rain occurred in the valley and snow accumulated in the mountains, the river reflected a mixture of low mountains and valley bottom precipitation. During the dry Mediterranean summer, 60-80% of the river water came from the snow zone above 1200 m, which is only 12% of the land area and accounts for 15.6% of the annual precipitation within the Willamette Basin. This high elevation area contains the High Cascades geological region with highly permeable bedrock that sustains latesummer baseflow compared to the Western Cascades with low permeable bedrock. Reliance on highelevation water during summer low flow highlights the vulnerability of this system to influences of a warming climate, where snowpacks in the Cascade Mountains are predicted to decrease in the future.

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Twentieth-century decline in streamflows from the hydrographic apex of North America

Cited by 157 publications

References 36 publications

Flood Frequency Variability During the Past 80 Years in the Slave River Delta, NWT, as Determined from Multi-Proxy Paleolimnological Analysis

Flood Frequency Variability During the Past 80 Years in the Slave River Delta, NWT, as Determined from Multi-Proxy Paleolimnological Analysis

Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Hydroclimatology of Western Canada—Review and Prospects

Willamette River Basin surface water isoscape (δ¹⁸O and δ²H): temporal changes of source water within the river

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Twentieth-century decline in streamflows from the hydrographic apex of North America

Cited by 157 publications

References 36 publications

Flood Frequency Variability During the Past 80 Years in the Slave River Delta, NWT, as Determined from Multi-Proxy Paleolimnological Analysis

Flood Frequency Variability During the Past 80 Years in the Slave River Delta, NWT, as Determined from Multi-Proxy Paleolimnological Analysis

Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Hydroclimatology of Western Canada—Review and Prospects

Willamette River Basin surface water isoscape (δ18O and δ2H): temporal changes of source water within the river

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Resources

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Willamette River Basin surface water isoscape (δ¹⁸O and δ²H): temporal changes of source water within the river