B31D-0047:
Changes in snowfall and snow on the ground in the Western Canadian Arctic and implications to streamflow
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Philip Marsh, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada, Lance Lesack, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, Xiaogang Shi, CSIRO Canberra, Land and Water, Canberra, Australia and Daqing Yang, National Hydrology Research Center, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Abstract:
The climate of the Western Canadian Arctic has undergone dramatic warming of air temperature over the last 50 years. In addition, there have been apparent decreases in both snow depth on the ground at the end of winter and winter precipitation. However, there have been significant changes in methods used, including changes in snow on the ground observations, and snowfall measurements. This presentation will analyze the various existing data sets at the Environment Canada weather stations at Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, and at nearby long term research stations of Trail Valley and Havikpak Creeks to better consider changes in snowfall and snow on the ground. This paper will then consider the implications to runoff and will consider the possible implications of change in snow and the observed later, and reduced, snowmelt runoff observed at Trail Valley and Havikpak Creeks.
