The frequency, magnitude, and atmospheric drivers of winter hydroclimatic conditions conducive to snowmelt in western Canada were evaluated. These hydroclimatic variables were linked to the mid-winter break-up of river ice that included the creation of a comprehensive database including 46 mid-winter river ice break-up events in western Canada (1950-2008) and six events in Alaska (1950-2014). Widespread increases in above-freezing temperatures and spatially diverse increases in rainfall were detected over the study period (1946-2012), particularly during January and March. Critical elevation zones representing the greatest rate of change were identified for major river basins. Specifically, low-elevation (500-1000 m) temperature changes dominated the Stikine, Nass, Skeena, and Fraser river basins and low to mid-elevation changes (700-1500 m) dominated the Peace, Athabasca, Saskatchewan, and Columbia river basins. The greatest increases in rainfall were seen below 700 m and between 1200-1900 m in the Fraser and at mid- to high-elevations (1500-2200 m) in the Peace, Athabasca, and Saskatchewan river basins. Daily synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation patterns were classified using Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and corresponding hydroclimatic variables were evaluated. Frequency, persistence, and preferred shifts of identified synoptic types provided additional insight into characteristics of dominant atmospheric circulation patterns. Trend analyses revealed significant (p < 0.05) decreases in two dominant synoptic types: a ridge of high pressure over the Pacific Ocean and adjacent trough of low pressure over western Canada, which directs the movement of cold, dry air over the study region, and zonal flow with westerly flow from the Pacific Ocean over the study region. Conversely, trend analyses revealed an increase in the frequency and persistence of a ridge of high pressure over western Canada over the study period. However, step-change analysis revealed a decrease in zonal flows and an increase in the occurrence of high-pressure ridges over western Canada in 1977, coinciding with a shift to a positive Pacific Decadal Oscillation regime. A ridge of high pressure over western Canada was associated with a high frequency and magnitude of above-freezing temperatures and rainfall in the study region. This pattern is highly persistent and elicits a strong surface climate response. A ridge of high pressure and associated above-freezing temperatures and rainfall was also found to be the primary driver of mid-winter river ice break-up with rainfall being a stronger driver west of the Rocky Mountains and temperature to the east. These results improve our understanding of the drivers of threats to snowpack integrity and the generation of extreme hydrologic events. / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/9965 |
| Date | 28 August 2018 |
| Creators | Newton, Brandi Wreatha |
| Contributors | Prowse, Terry Donald |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds