Weather and climate patterns in Canada's prairie grasslands

McGinn, S. M.

doi:10.3752/9780968932148.ch5

Cited by 33 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Extreme precipitation in the USA has increased 10-20% across much of the Great Plains over the past 50 years, with a projected increase in the frequency of the heaviest rainfall events of 15-40% ). Unfortunately, comparable precipitation trend analyses in Canada do not extend past 2000 (Akinremi, McGinn & Cutforth 1999;Kunkel, Andsager & Easterling 1999), but in the last 14 years (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014) there have been four summers ranked in the top 10 wettest on record since 1948 (2002, 2005, 2010Environment Canada 2014). In the preceding 40 years, there were only two such years (1963 and1993;Environment Canada 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme precipitation reduces reproductive output of an endangered raptor

Fisher

Wellicome

Bayne

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary1. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather has increased in North America against a backdrop of anthropogenic land change. Few studies have examined how wildlife is affected by extreme weather, and none have examined whether any resulting effects are contingent upon the degree of anthropogenic landscape change. 2. Using an 8-year study in Canada (2003Canada ( -2010, we examined how nest survival of burrowing owls Athene cunicularia varied in relation to weather, vegetation and soil type around the nest. Using a 3-year (1992, 1993 and 1996) feeding experiment, we examined whether food limitation also causes owlet mortality during inclement weather. Lastly, we examined how productivity (i.e. annual fledgling output) between 2003 and 2010 varied as a function of breeding season precipitation anomalies. Using this relationship, we estimated how productivity has changed in response to breeding season precipitation anomalies from 1960 to 2012. 3. During extreme precipitation events, nest survival decreased because of flooding. When burrow flooding did not occur, the youngest owlets in broods that were not food-supplemented had the lowest survival rates when there was precipitation, yet almost all food-supplemented owlets survived bouts of inclement weather. Accordingly, annual productivity from 2003 to 2010 varied inversely with breeding season precipitation anomalies, and we estimated that mean annual productivity decreased by 12% from 1960 to 2012. 4. Synthesis and applications. Extreme rainfall during the breeding season reduced reproductive success of burrowing owls. Given that many raptors experience food limitation during extreme rainfall, large-scale habitat management to increase the abundance and availability of prey may allow these species to better withstand acute food shortages. In light of predicted increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, supplemental feeding could be used in triage situations for burrowing owl management and has the potential to be an effective short-term conservation measure for other raptors. Protecting or reclaiming pastures in uplands that are less prone to flooding would further buffer burrowing owls and other ground-nesting species from extreme precipitation. These actions should mitigate the negative effects of extreme rainfall in the short term; however, long-term persistence of many species will become increasingly uncertain, as climate change scenarios predict an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme precipitation reduces reproductive output of an endangered raptor

Fisher

Wellicome

Bayne

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The mean annual temperature and accumulated precipitation of the prairie ecozone vary from 1.5 • to 3.5 • and from 250 mm to 700 mm, respectively [36], and there has been a significant increase in the region-wide average of daily mean temperature and annual precipitation over the prairie ecozone since 1901 ( Figure A1). Due to the high evapotranspiration and relatively low precipitation, the prairie ecozone is known for a lack of water sources for vegetation growth [37]. Drought events at various temporal scales have been observed in the prairie ecozone from instrumental records and proxy drought indices ( Figure A2).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…First, we verified that the interannual variation in precipitation is a dominant contributing factor to the temporal pattern of drought in the prairie ecozone at various time scales, with different ending months (Figures 8 and 9). It is notably difficult to identify the meteorological cause of drought in this area [37]. Second, we interpreted the impact of precipitation on drought-induced shifts in grassland phenology by determining the directions of the correlations between DCP and drought-induced shifts in SOG and EOG.…”

Section: Drought-induced Shifts In Grassland Relation To Phenology Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grassland Phenology Response to Drought in the Canadian Prairies

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Drought is a significant climatic disturbance in grasslands, yet the impact drought caused by global warming has on grassland phenology is still unclear. Our research investigates the long-term variability of grassland phenology in relation to drought in the Canadian prairies from 1982 to 2014. Based on the start of growing season (SOG) and the end of growing season (EOG) derived from Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) NDVI3g datasets, we found that grasslands demonstrated complex phenology trends over our study period. We retrieved the drought conditions of the prairie ecozone at multiple time scales from the 1-to 12-month Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). We evaluated the correlations between the detrended time series of phenological metrics and SPEIs through Pearson correlation analysis and identified the dominant drought where the maximum correlations were found for each ecozone and each phenological metric. The dominant drought over preceding months account for 14-33% and 26-44% of the year-to-year variability of SOG and EOG, respectively, and fewer water deficits would favor an earlier SOG and delayed EOG. The drought-induced shifts in SOG and EOG were determined based on the correlation between the dominant drought and the year-to-year variability using ordinary least square (OLS) method. Our research also quantifies the correlation between precipitation and the evolution of the dominant droughts and the drought-induced shifts in grassland phenology. Every millimeter (mm) increase in precipitation accumulated over the dominant periods would cause SOG to occur 0.06-0.21 days earlier, and EOG to occur 0.23-0.45 days later. Our research reveals a complex phenology response in relation to drought in the Canadian prairie grasslands and demonstrates that drought is a significant factor in the timing of both SOG and EOG. Thus, it is necessary to include drought-related climatic variables when predicting grassland phenology response to climate change and variability.

show abstract

“…Throughout the non-growing season in Lethbridge, thawing events can be induced by sporadic 'chinook' winds carrying warm, dry air, increasing soil temperature and moisture to create suitable conditions for bursts of microbial activity (Chang et al, 1998). For example, during a chinook event, air temperature can increase 30°C and deplete snowpack from 15-to 3-cm, thawing the near soil-surface (McGinn, 2010). This leads to a soil surface that is exposed to repeated freezing, thawing, and drying (Bullock et al, 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Non‐Legume Cover Crops Can Increase Non‐Growing Season Nitrous Oxide Emissions

Thomas

Hao

Larney

et al. 2017

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abbreviations: FRC, fall rye with compost; FRF, fall rye with inorganic fertilizer; MDL, minimum detection limit; ORC, oilseed radish with compost; ORF, oilseed radish with inorganic fertilizer; NCC, no cover crop with compost; NCF, no cover crop with inorganic fertilizer; CON, nonamended soil with no cover crop; WEOC, water-extractable organic carbon. P ost-harvest seeding of cover crops reduces the risk of wind erosion and nutrient loss through leaching and runoff during the non-growing season, but how cover crops affect C and N transformations during this time is poorly understood. Although soil microbial activity slows during the non-growing season, this period is particularly prone to N 2 O emissions in temperate regions (Wagner-Riddle and Thurtell, 1998;Dörsch et al., 2004;Ellert and Janzen, 2008;Hao, 2015). Whether cover crops reduce N 2 O emissions during the non-growing season by assimilating ammonium (NH 4 ) and NO 3 is uncertain. In part, this is because cover crops release labile C and N through root exudates and rhizodeposition during their growth phase and freeze-thaw cycles, which can stimulate microbial activity and increase N 2 O emissions (Petersen et al., 2011;Gul and Whalen, 2013;Mitchell et al., 2013). This may counter the crop N uptake and explain why there is no clear consensus on how non-legume cover crops effect N 2 O emissions (Basche et al., 2014 Core Ideas• Nitrous oxide emissions were greater in winter than spring or fall.• Tillage radish increased over-winter N 2 o fluxes.• Non-legume cover crops increased N 2 o fluxes under apparent No 3 limiting conditions.

show abstract

Weather and climate patterns in Canada's prairie grasslands

Cited by 33 publications

References 32 publications

Extreme precipitation reduces reproductive output of an endangered raptor

Extreme precipitation reduces reproductive output of an endangered raptor

Grassland Phenology Response to Drought in the Canadian Prairies

Non‐Legume Cover Crops Can Increase Non‐Growing Season Nitrous Oxide Emissions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About