Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Heavy Precipitation Events over Canada

Zhang, Xuebin; Hogg, W. D.; Mekis, Éva

doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2001)014<1923:satcoh>2.0.co;2

Cited by 205 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Between 1900 and 1998, Canada's annual mean temperature increased between 0.5 and 1.5 8C, while northeastern Canada actually experienced a slight cooling (Zhang et al, 2000). Precipitation increased across most of Canada and the United States during the past century, but winter precipitation and winter temperatures increased more than spring and summer temperatures (NAST, 2001;Zhang et al, 2001). Larger scale discontinuities in the oceanclimate system are also evident in the geologic record.…”

Section: Complexities In Assessing Ecosystem Response To Climatic Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Burkett

Wilcox

Stottlemyer

et al. 2005

Ecological Complexity

237

177

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Many biological, hydrological, and geological processes are interactively linked in ecosystems. These ecological phenomena normally vary within bounded ranges, but rapid, nonlinear changes to markedly different conditions can be triggered by even small differences if threshold values are exceeded. Intrinsic and extrinsic ecological thresholds can lead to effects that cascade among systems, precluding accurate modeling and prediction of system response to climate change. Ten case studies from North America illustrate how changes in climate can lead to rapid, threshold-type responses within ecological communities; the case studies also highlight the role of human activities that alter the rate or direction of system response to climate change. Understanding and anticipating nonlinear dynamics are important aspects of adaptation planning since responses of biological resources to changes in the physical climate system are not necessarily proportional and sometimes, as in the case of complex ecological systems, inherently nonlinear. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Section: Complexities In Assessing Ecosystem Response To Climatic Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Burkett

Wilcox

Stottlemyer

et al. 2005

Ecological Complexity

237

177

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“…For duration of precipitations, the trend in Kingston is one of the lowest in Ontario. This seems to agree with the absence of trend found by Zhang et al (2001) for the fraction of annual precipitation falling in the largest 10 th percentile of daily events (except for Spring) in Eastern Canada. In a published paper (2003), Adamowski et al found significantly negative regional trends and large ones for the St Lawrence region.…”

Section: Conclusion: Adaptive Capacity Of Eastern Ontario Small Ruralmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Adaptation of Water Resource Infrastructures to Climate Change in Eastern Ontario

2006

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Abstract. Institutional barriers and bridges to local climate change impacts adaptation affecting small rural municipalities and Conservation Authorities (CAs are watershed agencies) in Eastern Ontario (Canada) are examined, and elements of a community-based adaptation strategy related to water infrastructures are proposed as a case-study in community adaptation to climate change. No general water scarcity is expected for the region even under unusually dry weather scenarios. Localized quantity and quality problems are likely to occur especially in groundwater recharge areas. Some existing institutions can be relied on by municipalities to build an effective adaptation strategy based on a watershed/region perspective, on their credibility, and on their expertise. Windows of opportunity or framing issues are offered at the provincial level, the most relevant one in a federal state, by municipal emergency plan requirements and pending watershed source water protection legislation. Voluntary and soon to be mandated climate change mitigation programs at the federal level are other ones.

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“…Changes in the mean state of climate, such as annual precipitation totals and mean temperature, are associated with changes in both mean and extreme daily values. There was no evidence to suggest changes in the frequency of heavy precipitation events (daily rainfall/snowfall larger than a threshold value which is exceeded by an average of three events per year) across Canada [Zhang et al, 2000b], but significant trends have been identified in extreme temperatures (daily temperatures larger than 95 or less than 5 percentiles). The increasing trend in spring temperature has also resulted in earlier starting dates of both frost-free period and growing season [Bonsal et al, 2000] during the last half of the twentieth century.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Trends in Canadian streamflow

Zhang¹,

Harvey²,

Hogg³

et al. 2001

Water Resources Research

Self Cite

647

460

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Abstract. This study presents trends computed for the past 30-50 years for 11 hydroclimatic variables obtained from the recently created Canadian Reference Hydrometric Basin Network database. It was found that annual mean streamflow has generally decreased during the periods, with significant decreases detected in the southern part of the country. Monthly mean streamflow for most months also decreased, with the greatest decreases occurring in August and September. The exceptions are March and April, when significant increases in streamflow were observed. Significant increases were identified in lower percentiles of the daily streamflow frequency distribution over northern British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. In southern Canada, significant decreases were observed in all percentiles of the daily streamflow distribution. Breakup of river ice and the ensuing spring freshet occur significantly earlier, especially in British Columbia. There is also evidence to suggest earlier freeze-up of rivers, particularly in eastern Canada. The trends observed in hydroclimatic variables are entirely consistent with those identified in climatic variables in other Canadian studies.

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Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Heavy Precipitation Events over Canada

Cited by 205 publications

References 13 publications

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Institutional Adaptation of Water Resource Infrastructures to Climate Change in Eastern Ontario

Trends in Canadian streamflow

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