Assessing the Importance of Potholes in the Canadian Prairie Region under Future Climate Change Scenarios

Assessing the Importance of Potholes in the Canadian Prairie Region under Future Climate Change Scenarios

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of Canada contains millions of small isolated wetlands and is unique to North America. The goods and services of these isolated wetlands are highly sensitive to variations in precipitation and temperature. We evaluated the flood proofing of isolated wetlands (pothole...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water (Basel) 2018-11, Vol.10 (11), p.1657
Main Authors: Muhammad, Ameer, Evenson, Grey, Stadnyk, Tricia, Boluwade, Alaba, Jha, Sanjeev, Coulibaly, Paulin
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Book publishing
Canadian Prairies
Catchment area
Climate
Climate change
Floodproofing
Headwaters
Hydrologic cycle
Hydrologic regime
Hydrology
Lakes
land use change
Maintenance and repair
Moisture content
Potholes
Prairies
Precipitation variability
River basins
Roads
Simulation
Snow
Soil water
Stream discharge
Stream flow
Streamflow
Summer
SWAT
Watersheds
Wetlands
Winter
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Summary:The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of Canada contains millions of small isolated wetlands and is unique to North America. The goods and services of these isolated wetlands are highly sensitive to variations in precipitation and temperature. We evaluated the flood proofing of isolated wetlands (pothole wetlands) under various climate change scenarios in the Upper Assiniboine River Basin (UARB) at Kamsack, a headwater catchment of the Lake of the Prairies in the Canadian portion of the PPR. A modified version of the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was utilized to simulate projected streamflow under the potential impacts of climate change, along with changes to the distribution of pothole wetlands. Significant increases in winter streamflow (~200%) and decreases (~11%) in summer flow, driven by changes in future climates, were simulated. Simulated changes in streamflow resulting from pothole removal were between 55% for winter and 15% for summer, suggesting that climate will be the primary driver in the future hydrologic regime of the study region. This research serves as an important guide to the various stakeholder organizations involved in quantifying the aggregate impacts of pothole wetlands in the hydrology of the Canadian Prairie Region.
ISSN:2073-4441
2073-4441