Title | Water yield variability and response to climate change across Canada |
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Author | Li, Z ; Wang, S |
Source | Hydrological Sciences Journal vol. 66, issue 7, 2021 p. 1169-1184, https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2021.1925122 |
Image |  |
Year | 2021 |
Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20210183 |
Publisher | Taylor & Francis Ltd. |
Document | serial |
Lang. | English |
Media | paper; on-line; digital |
File format | pdf |
Province | British Columbia; Alberta; Saskatchewan; Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; Newfoundland and Labrador; Northwest Territories; Yukon; Nunavut; Canada |
NTS | 1; 2; 3; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48; 49; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 62; 63; 64; 65;
66; 67; 68; 69; 72; 73; 74; 75; 76; 77; 78; 79; 82; 83; 84; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 92; 93; 94; 95; 96; 97; 98; 99; 102; 103; 104; 105; 106; 107; 114O; 114P; 115; 116; 117; 120; 340; 560 |
Area | Canada |
Lat/Long WENS | -141.0000 -50.0000 90.0000 41.7500 |
Subjects | Science and Technology; Climate change |
Illustrations | location maps; tables; charts; graphs |
Program | Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) Canada Centre for Remote Sensing |
Released | 2021 06 07 |
Abstract | This study generated a water yield dataset for Canada for 197-2016 by subtracting the land surface evapotranspiration (ET) and water surface evaporation (E0) from precipitation (P). The dataset was
validated in Budyko space and compared with streamflow (Q) before the spatial variability and trends were analysed. Results indicate (1) uncertainties of the dataset are generally small; (2) despite the asynchronous inter-annual change, annual water
yield varies in a similar temporal pattern to Q; (3) annual water yield varies dramatically across Canada, ranging from about zero on the Canadian Prairies to over 2500 mm on the West Coast; and (4) annual water yield shows no significant changes
over the study period in the vast majority (82.4%) of Canada's landmass. The most significant increasing trend appears in South Central Canada, attributed to increasing P. The most significant decreasing trend appears in Northeast Canada and the
Southern Montane Cordillera, attributed to decreasing P and increasing ET. |
Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published) Under climate change, the maximum water loss from land surface entering the air has shown an increasing trend from 1979 to 2016 in the Northern Arctic,
East, and West Canada. Under such circumstances, how regional water resources, in particular freshwater availability, are affected becomes one of the most critical questions. Scientists have made efforts to investigate the change of water
availability using streamflow data measured at hydrometric stations. These studies have greatly contributed to our understanding of climate change impacts on freshwater availability. However, streamflow measurements are point-based and are not
available in some regions. In this study, we generated a spatially and temporally continuous water yield dataset for Canada in 1979-2016 by subtracting the actual water loss from land surface entering into the air from precipitation. The generated
water yield is an indicator of freshwater availability. We validated the dataset based on the long-term water-energy balance described in the Budyko Space and compared the dataset with streamflow (Q) in 19 drainage basins. After the validation, we
analyzed water yield's spatial variability and temporal trends across Canada. The results indicate that: (1) the dataset's uncertainties are generally small; (2) the annual water yield varies in a similar temporal pattern with streamflow, although
they change asynchronously inter-annually; (3) annual water yield varies dramatically across Canada, ranging from about zero in Canadian Prairies to over 2500 mm in West Coast; and (4) annual water yield has no significant changes over the study
period in the vast majority (82.4%) of Canada's landmass. The most significant increasing trend appears in South Central Canada, attributed to increasing precipitation. The most significant decreasing trend appears in Northeast Canada and Southern
Montane Cordillera, attributed to decreasing precipitation and increasing actual water loss to the air. |
GEOSCAN ID | 328650 |
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