Forested regions are the primary source of surface-water supplies supporting Alberta’s population... more Forested regions are the primary source of surface-water supplies supporting Alberta’s population. In this area, wildfires are the main natural disturbance and a predicted increase in their magnitude, in conjunction with a sharp rise in population, will invariably exacerbate the risk to the drinking water supply. The purpose of our work is to produce a province-wide spatial risk-analysis framework linking wildfire threats to drinking water treatment operations in Alberta. Wildfire hazard characterization was based on the analysis of historical fire activity. We developed a statistical model of fire occurrence based on climate normals, extreme fire weather, physiographic, and anthropogenic variables. Based on modelling results, we evaluated the threat to water supply by estimating the potential discharge of post-fire contaminants in each of the province’s watershed. Subsequently, we parameterized a hydrological model for a prediction of downstream changes in contaminant concentration...
The contemporary increase in frequency and severity of wildfires in western North America can be ... more The contemporary increase in frequency and severity of wildfires in western North America can be considered a current manifestation of climate change in North America (Westerling et al 2006). The Southern Rockies Watershed Project was established shortly after the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire (> 210 km2) to describe both the early magnitude, and subsequent trajectory of recovery of a broad range of watershed``values''in the high water yielding region of Alberta's Southern Rockies. The research area located near the ...
... Tech niques for Mea sur ing Snow Den sity at a Point Sarah Boon, Reed Davis, Kevin Bladon, an... more ... Tech niques for Mea sur ing Snow Den sity at a Point Sarah Boon, Reed Davis, Kevin Bladon, and Michael Wag ner ... Depth hoar devel op ment was observed at the base of the snowpack, 510 cm above the Streamline Watershed Management Bulletin Vol. 12/No. ...
This study examined the initial magnitude and post-disturbance recovery of watershed hydrology an... more This study examined the initial magnitude and post-disturbance recovery of watershed hydrology and ecology after the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire in Southern Alberta's Rocky Mountains. Ecohydrological linkages between phosphorus (P) production and response of stream algal and benthic macroinvertebrate communities were studied for four years after this severe wildfire (2004-2007) to describe the early trajectory of post-disturbance recovery. Wildfire and salvage logging resulted in 3-to 12-times greater total ...
Forests form the critical source water areas for downstream drinking water supplies in many parts... more Forests form the critical source water areas for downstream drinking water supplies in many parts of the world, including the Rocky Mountain regions of North America. Large scale natural disturbances from wildfire and severe insect infestation are more likely because of warming climate and can significantly impact water quality downstream of forested headwaters regions. To investigate potential implications of changing climate and wildfire on drinking water treatment, the 2003 Lost Creek Wildfire in Alberta, Canada was studied. Four years of comprehensive hydrology and water quality data from seven watersheds were evaluated and synthesized to assess the implications of wildfire and post-fire intervention (salvage-logging) on downstream drinking water treatment. The 95th percentile turbidity and DOC remained low in streams draining unburned watersheds (5.1 NTU, 3.8 mg/L), even during periods of potential treatment challenge (e.g., stormflows, spring freshet); in contrast, they were e...
In many parts of the world, forests provide high quality water for domestic, agricultural, indust... more In many parts of the world, forests provide high quality water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, and ecological needs, with water supplies in those regions inextricably linked to forest health. Wildfires have the potential to have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems and community drinking water supply through impacts on water quantity and quality. In recent decades, a combination of fuel load accumulation, climate change, extensive droughts, and increased human presence in forests have resulted in increases in area burned and wildfire severity-a trend predicted to continue. Thus, the implications of wildfire for many downstream water uses are increasingly concerning, particularly the provision of safe drinking water, which may require additional treatment infrastructure and increased operations and maintenance costs in communities downstream of impacted landscapes. A better understanding of the effects of wildfire on water is needed to develop effective adaptation and mi...
Global increases in the occurrence of large, severe wildfires in forested watersheds threaten dri... more Global increases in the occurrence of large, severe wildfires in forested watersheds threaten drinking water supplies and aquatic ecology. Wildfire effects on water quality, particularly nutrient levels and forms, can be significant. The longevity and downstream propagation of these effects, as well as the geochemical mechanisms regulating them remain largely undocumented at larger river basin scales. Here, phosphorus (P) speciation and sorption behavior of suspended sediment were examined in two river basins impacted by a severe wildfire in southern Alberta, Canada. Fine grained suspended sediments (<125 μm) were sampled continuously during ice-free conditions over a two year period (2009-2010), 6 and 7 years after the wildfire. Suspended sediment samples were collected from upstream reference (unburned) river reaches, multiple tributaries within the burned areas, and from reaches downstream of the burned areas, in the Crowsnest and Castle River basins. Total particulate phospho...
Forested regions are the primary source of surface-water supplies supporting Alberta’s population... more Forested regions are the primary source of surface-water supplies supporting Alberta’s population. In this area, wildfires are the main natural disturbance and a predicted increase in their magnitude, in conjunction with a sharp rise in population, will invariably exacerbate the risk to the drinking water supply. The purpose of our work is to produce a province-wide spatial risk-analysis framework linking wildfire threats to drinking water treatment operations in Alberta. Wildfire hazard characterization was based on the analysis of historical fire activity. We developed a statistical model of fire occurrence based on climate normals, extreme fire weather, physiographic, and anthropogenic variables. Based on modelling results, we evaluated the threat to water supply by estimating the potential discharge of post-fire contaminants in each of the province’s watershed. Subsequently, we parameterized a hydrological model for a prediction of downstream changes in contaminant concentration...
The contemporary increase in frequency and severity of wildfires in western North America can be ... more The contemporary increase in frequency and severity of wildfires in western North America can be considered a current manifestation of climate change in North America (Westerling et al 2006). The Southern Rockies Watershed Project was established shortly after the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire (> 210 km2) to describe both the early magnitude, and subsequent trajectory of recovery of a broad range of watershed``values''in the high water yielding region of Alberta's Southern Rockies. The research area located near the ...
... Tech niques for Mea sur ing Snow Den sity at a Point Sarah Boon, Reed Davis, Kevin Bladon, an... more ... Tech niques for Mea sur ing Snow Den sity at a Point Sarah Boon, Reed Davis, Kevin Bladon, and Michael Wag ner ... Depth hoar devel op ment was observed at the base of the snowpack, 510 cm above the Streamline Watershed Management Bulletin Vol. 12/No. ...
This study examined the initial magnitude and post-disturbance recovery of watershed hydrology an... more This study examined the initial magnitude and post-disturbance recovery of watershed hydrology and ecology after the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire in Southern Alberta's Rocky Mountains. Ecohydrological linkages between phosphorus (P) production and response of stream algal and benthic macroinvertebrate communities were studied for four years after this severe wildfire (2004-2007) to describe the early trajectory of post-disturbance recovery. Wildfire and salvage logging resulted in 3-to 12-times greater total ...
Forests form the critical source water areas for downstream drinking water supplies in many parts... more Forests form the critical source water areas for downstream drinking water supplies in many parts of the world, including the Rocky Mountain regions of North America. Large scale natural disturbances from wildfire and severe insect infestation are more likely because of warming climate and can significantly impact water quality downstream of forested headwaters regions. To investigate potential implications of changing climate and wildfire on drinking water treatment, the 2003 Lost Creek Wildfire in Alberta, Canada was studied. Four years of comprehensive hydrology and water quality data from seven watersheds were evaluated and synthesized to assess the implications of wildfire and post-fire intervention (salvage-logging) on downstream drinking water treatment. The 95th percentile turbidity and DOC remained low in streams draining unburned watersheds (5.1 NTU, 3.8 mg/L), even during periods of potential treatment challenge (e.g., stormflows, spring freshet); in contrast, they were e...
In many parts of the world, forests provide high quality water for domestic, agricultural, indust... more In many parts of the world, forests provide high quality water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, and ecological needs, with water supplies in those regions inextricably linked to forest health. Wildfires have the potential to have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems and community drinking water supply through impacts on water quantity and quality. In recent decades, a combination of fuel load accumulation, climate change, extensive droughts, and increased human presence in forests have resulted in increases in area burned and wildfire severity-a trend predicted to continue. Thus, the implications of wildfire for many downstream water uses are increasingly concerning, particularly the provision of safe drinking water, which may require additional treatment infrastructure and increased operations and maintenance costs in communities downstream of impacted landscapes. A better understanding of the effects of wildfire on water is needed to develop effective adaptation and mi...
Global increases in the occurrence of large, severe wildfires in forested watersheds threaten dri... more Global increases in the occurrence of large, severe wildfires in forested watersheds threaten drinking water supplies and aquatic ecology. Wildfire effects on water quality, particularly nutrient levels and forms, can be significant. The longevity and downstream propagation of these effects, as well as the geochemical mechanisms regulating them remain largely undocumented at larger river basin scales. Here, phosphorus (P) speciation and sorption behavior of suspended sediment were examined in two river basins impacted by a severe wildfire in southern Alberta, Canada. Fine grained suspended sediments (<125 μm) were sampled continuously during ice-free conditions over a two year period (2009-2010), 6 and 7 years after the wildfire. Suspended sediment samples were collected from upstream reference (unburned) river reaches, multiple tributaries within the burned areas, and from reaches downstream of the burned areas, in the Crowsnest and Castle River basins. Total particulate phospho...
Uploads