Name
Investigating ecosystem service loss associated with wetland drainage in the Prairies: an interdisciplinary modelling approach
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Description
The Canadian Prairie is a one of the country�s most intensively managed regions, and one that is home to high climate variability and numerous water security challenges. Environmental change has been a constant in the region since colonization, with wetland drainage widespread and ongoing. We have developed an approach for quantifying key effects of wetland drainage, using a virtual watershed�based approach to modelling that is centred on a biophysical classification of more than 4000 small watersheds across the region. Through this classification and application of the Cold Regions Hydrological Model, we illustrate important differences in runoff between classes, and quantify how runoff responds to wetland drainage for one of the watershed classes with active wetland drainage activities. We use hydrological model outputs to illustrate that phosphorus exports are predicted to increase, even at low levels of drainage. Importantly, by coupling hydrological model outputs to simulate wetland dynamics, we are able to quantify impacts to avian species dependent on wetland habitat. This work suggests that biodiversity loss is more sensitive to wetland drainage than both streamflow and biogeochemical export to downstream systems. This work provides a powerful approach for evaluating changes to key ecosystem services in a region where hydrometric, and other monitoring data are limited.
Location Name
Cedar
Full Address
Banff Park Lodge Resort Hotel & Conference Centre
201 Lynx St
Banff AB T1L 1K5
Canada
Abstract
The Canadian Prairie is a one of the country�s most intensively managed regions, and one that is home to high climate variability and numerous water security challenges. Environmental change has been a constant in the region since colonization, with wetland drainage widespread and ongoing. We have developed an approach for quantifying key effects of wetland drainage, using a virtual watershed�based approach to modelling that is centred on a biophysical classification of more than 4000 small watersheds across the region. Through this classification and application of the Cold Regions Hydrological Model, we illustrate important differences in runoff between classes, and quantify how runoff responds to wetland drainage for one of the watershed classes with active wetland drainage activities. We use hydrological model outputs to illustrate that phosphorus exports are predicted to increase, even at low levels of drainage. Importantly, by coupling hydrological model outputs to simulate wetland dynamics, we are able to quantify impacts to avian species dependent on wetland habitat. This work suggests that biodiversity loss is more sensitive to wetland drainage than both streamflow and biogeochemical export to downstream systems. This work provides a powerful approach for evaluating changes to key ecosystem services in a region where hydrometric, and other monitoring data are limited.
Session Type
Breakout Session