An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada

A return-period analysis of annual peak spring break-up and open-water levels for 136 Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations was used to classify rivers across Canada and to assess the physical controls on peak break-up water-levels. According to the peak water-level river-regime classification...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Von de Wall, Simon Julius
Other Authors: Prowse, Terry Donald
Language:English
en
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3752
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spelling ndltd-uvic.ca-oai-dspace.library.uvic.ca-1828-37522015-01-29T16:51:51Z An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada Von de Wall, Simon Julius Prowse, Terry Donald Cold regions hydrology river ice break-up flood levels return-period analysis river regimes teleconnections spring 0°C isotherm variability A return-period analysis of annual peak spring break-up and open-water levels for 136 Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations was used to classify rivers across Canada and to assess the physical controls on peak break-up water-levels. According to the peak water-level river-regime classification and subsequent analysis, 32% of rivers were classified as spring break-up dominated, characterized by low elevations and slopes and large basin sizes while 45% were open-water dominated and associated with alpine environments of high elevations and channel slopes, and smaller basin sizes. The remaining 23% of rivers were classified as a mixed regime. A spatial and temporal analysis (1969-2006) of the river ice break-up season using hydrometric variables of timing and water levels, never before assessed at the northern Canada-wide scale, revealed significant declines in break-up water levels and significant trends towards earlier and prolonged break-up in western and central Canada. The spatial and temporal influence of air temperature on break-up timing was assessed using the spring 0°C isotherm, which revealed a significant positive relationship but no spatial patterns. In the case of major ocean/atmosphere oscillations, significant negative (positive) correlations indicate that break-up occurs earlier (later) during the positive phases of the Pacific North American Pattern (El Niño Southern Oscillation) over most of western Canada. Fewer significant positive correlations show that break-up occurs later during the positive phases of the Arctic Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation in eastern Canada. Graduate 2011-12-20T19:37:26Z 2011-12-20T19:37:26Z 2011 2011-12-20 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3752 English en Available to the World Wide Web
collection NDLTD
language English
en
sources NDLTD
topic Cold regions hydrology
river ice break-up
flood levels
return-period analysis
river regimes
teleconnections
spring 0°C isotherm
variability
spellingShingle Cold regions hydrology
river ice break-up
flood levels
return-period analysis
river regimes
teleconnections
spring 0°C isotherm
variability
Von de Wall, Simon Julius
An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada
description A return-period analysis of annual peak spring break-up and open-water levels for 136 Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations was used to classify rivers across Canada and to assess the physical controls on peak break-up water-levels. According to the peak water-level river-regime classification and subsequent analysis, 32% of rivers were classified as spring break-up dominated, characterized by low elevations and slopes and large basin sizes while 45% were open-water dominated and associated with alpine environments of high elevations and channel slopes, and smaller basin sizes. The remaining 23% of rivers were classified as a mixed regime. A spatial and temporal analysis (1969-2006) of the river ice break-up season using hydrometric variables of timing and water levels, never before assessed at the northern Canada-wide scale, revealed significant declines in break-up water levels and significant trends towards earlier and prolonged break-up in western and central Canada. The spatial and temporal influence of air temperature on break-up timing was assessed using the spring 0°C isotherm, which revealed a significant positive relationship but no spatial patterns. In the case of major ocean/atmosphere oscillations, significant negative (positive) correlations indicate that break-up occurs earlier (later) during the positive phases of the Pacific North American Pattern (El Niño Southern Oscillation) over most of western Canada. Fewer significant positive correlations show that break-up occurs later during the positive phases of the Arctic Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation in eastern Canada. === Graduate
author2 Prowse, Terry Donald
author_facet Prowse, Terry Donald
Von de Wall, Simon Julius
author Von de Wall, Simon Julius
author_sort Von de Wall, Simon Julius
title An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada
title_short An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada
title_full An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada
title_fullStr An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada
title_full_unstemmed An Assessment of the river ice break-up season in Canada
title_sort assessment of the river ice break-up season in canada
publishDate 2011
url http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3752
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