| Title | Interdecadal variability of streamflow in the Hudson Bay Lowlands watersheds driven by atmospheric circulation |
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| Author | Champagne, O; Arain, M A; Wang, S ; Leduc, M; Russell, H A J |
| Source | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies vol. 36, 100868, 2021 p. 1-16, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100868  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2021 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20210303 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf; html |
| Province | Ontario |
| Area | Hudson Bay; Canada |
| Lat/Long WENS | -100.0000 -79.0000 57.0000 47.0000 |
| Subjects | Science and Technology; hydrogeology; Hudson Bay Lowlands |
| Illustrations | location maps; charts; diagrams |
| Program | Climate
Change Geoscience Extreme Events |
| Released | 2021 07 17 |
| Abstract | Study region: Hudson Bay Lowlands watersheds, Ontario, Canada. Study Focus: The rivers in the Hudson Bay Lowlands are a major source of freshwater entering the Arctic Ocean and they also cause major
floods. In recent decades, this region has been affected by major changes in hydroclimatic processes attributed to climate change and natural climate variability. In this study, we used ERA5 reanalysis data, hydrometric observations, and the
hydrological model MESH, to investigate the impact of atmospheric circulation on the inter-decadal variability of streamflow between 1979 and 2018 in the Hudson Bay Lowlands. The natural climate variability was assessed using a weather regimes
approach based on the discretization of daily geopotential height anomalies (Z500) from ERA5 reanalysis, as well as large scale oceanic and atmospheric variability modes. New hydrological insights: The results showed an anomalous convergence of
atmospheric moisture flux between 1995-2008 that enhanced precipitation and increased streamflow in the western part of the region. This moisture convergence was likely driven by the combination of (i) low pressure anomalies in the East Coast of
North America and (ii) low pressure anomalies in western regions of Canada, associated with the cold phase of the pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). Since 2009, streamflow remains high, likely due to more groundwater discharge associated with the
degradation of permafrost. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The rivers in the Hudson Bay Lowlands are a major source of freshwater entering the Arctic Ocean and they also cause major floods. In recent decades,
this region has been affected by major changes in hydroclimatic processes attributed to climate change and natural climate variability. In this study, we used climate reanalysis data, hydrometric observations, and the hydrological model MESH, to
investigate the impact of atmospheric circulation on the inter-decadal variability of streamflow between 1979 and 2018 in the Hudson Bay Lowlands. The results showed an anomalous convergence of atmospheric moisture flux between 1995-2008 that
enhanced precipitation and increased streamflow in the western part of the region. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 328967 |
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