Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 1652 |
|---|---|
| Citation | Stahl, K, Moore, RD, Shea, J, Hutchinson, D and Cannon, AJ. 2008. Coupled modelling of glacier and streamflow response to future climate scenarios. Water Resources Research 44: W02422, doi:10.1029/2007WR005956. |
| Organization | UBC |
| URL | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2007WR005956/abstract |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | Glacier retreat;HBV;conceptual models;volume-area scaling;streamflow;climate change [1] This study investigated the sensitivity of streamflow to changes in climate and glacier cover for the Bridge River basin, British Columbia, using a semi-distributed conceptual hydrological model coupled with a glacier response model. Mass balance data were used to constrain model parameters. Climate scenarios included a continuation of the current climate and two transient GCM scenarios with greenhouse gas forcing. Modelled glacier mass balance was used to re-scale the glacier every decade using a volume-area scaling relation. Glacier area and summer streamflow declined strongly even under the steady-climate scenario, with the glacier retreating to a new equilibrium within 100 years. For the warming scenarios, glacier retreat continued with no evidence of reaching a new equilibrium. Uncertainty in parameters governing glacier melt produced uncertainty in future glacier retreat and streamflow response. Where mass balance information is not available to assist with calibration, model-generated future scenarios will be subject to significant uncertainty. |
| Information Type | article |
| Regional Watershed | Fraser |
| Sub-watershed if known | |
| Aquifer # | |
| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
| Contact Name | RD Moore |
| Contact Email | [email protected] |