Wetland drainage in the Canadian prairies: Nutrient, salt and bacteria characteristics

Brunet, N.; Westbrook, Cherie J.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2011.09.010

Cited by 40 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Runoff NO 3 concentrations vary significantly during snowmelt (e.g., Brunet & Westbrook, ) due to discontinuities in nutrient supply. These are caused by changes in the sources, the transport and transformation mechanisms, and other physical factors (Liu et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A modelling framework to simulate field‐scale nitrate response and transport during snowmelt: The WINTRA model

Costa

Roste

Pomeroy

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

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Modelling nutrient transport during snowmelt in cold regions remains a major scientific challenge.A key limitation of existing nutrient models for application in cold regions is the inadequate representation of snowmelt, including hydrological and biogeochemical processes. This brief period can account for more than 80% of the total annual surface runoff in the Canadian Prairies and Northern Canada and processes such as atmospheric deposition, overwinter redistribution of snow, ion exclusion from snow crystals, frozen soils, and snow-covered area depletion during melt influence the distribution and release of snow and soil nutrients, thus affecting the timing and magnitude of snowmelt runoff nutrient concentrations.Research in cold regions suggests that nitrate (NO 3 ) runoff at the field-scale can be divided into 5 phases during snowmelt. In the first phase, water and ions originating from ion-rich snow layers travel and diffuse through the snowpack. This process causes ion concentrations in runoff to gradually increase. The second phase occurs when this snow ion meltwater front has reached the bottom of the snowpack and forms runoff to the edge-of-the-field. During the third and fourth phases, the main source of NO 3 transitions from the snowpack to the soil. Finally, the fifth and last phase occurs when the snow has completely melted, and the thawing soil becomes the main source of NO 3 to the stream.In this research, a process-based model was developed to simulate hourly export based on this 5-phase approach. Results from an application in the Red River Basin of southern Manitoba, Canada, shows that the model can adequately capture the dynamics and rapid changes of NO 3 concentrations during this period at relevant temporal resolutions. This is a significant achievement to advance the current nutrient modelling paradigm in cold climates, which is generally limited to satisfactory results at monthly or annual resolutions. The approach can inform catchment-scale nutrient models to improve simulation of this critical snowmelt period.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A modelling framework to simulate field‐scale nitrate response and transport during snowmelt: The WINTRA model

Costa

Roste

Pomeroy

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

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“…). Ditching wetlands can not only make them into sources of water but also sources of nutrients and ions from their legacy performing sink functions on the landscape (e.g., Brunet and Westbrook ; Nair et al. ).…”

Section: Hydrological Physical and Chemical Functions Of Nfwsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wetlands in these areas are sometimes fitted with inlets that connect directly to tile drains, quickly moving temporarily ponded water through the subsurface and to outlets that discharge directly to ditches or streams (Tomer et al 2010). Ditching wetlands can not only make them into sources of water but also sources of nutrients and ions from their legacy performing sink functions on the landscape (e.g., Brunet and Westbrook 2012;Nair et al 2015).…”

Section: Factors Affecting Hydrologic Connectivity Of Nfwsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrological, Physical, and Chemical Functions and Connectivity of Non‐Floodplain Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review

Lane

Leibowitz

Autrey

et al. 2018

J American Water Resour Assoc

103

108

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We reviewed the scientific literature on non‐floodplain wetlands (NFWs), freshwater wetlands typically located distal to riparian and floodplain systems, to determine hydrological, physical, and chemical functioning and stream and river network connectivity. We assayed the literature for source, sink, lag, and transformation functions, as well as factors affecting connectivity. We determined NFWs are important landscape components, hydrologically, physically, and chemically affecting downstream aquatic systems. NFWs are hydrologic and chemical sources for other waters, hydrologically connecting across long distances and contributing compounds such as methylated mercury and dissolved organic matter. NFWs reduced flood peaks and maintained baseflows in stream and river networks through hydrologic lag and sink functions, and sequestered or assimilated substantial nutrient inputs through chemical sink and transformative functions. Landscape‐scale connectivity of NFWs affects water and material fluxes to downstream river networks, substantially modifying the characteristics and function of downstream waters. Many factors determine the effects of NFW hydrological, physical, and chemical functions on downstream systems, and additional research quantifying these factors and impacts is warranted. We conclude NFWs are hydrologically, chemically, and physically interconnected with stream and river networks though this connectivity varies in frequency, duration, magnitude, and timing.

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“…It contains a stream which normally flows for a few weeks each spring in response to snowmelt runoff. This basin has been studied by the University of Saskatchewan Centre for Hydrology since 2007 (Fang et al ., ; Minke et al ., ; Pomeroy et al ., ; Shook and Pomeroy, ; Brunet and Westbrook, ). LiDAR data were acquired from October 14 to 16, 2008 at a horizontal resolution of 1 m, with a vertical RMS error of 0.05 m. The collection procedure is documented more fully by Lidar Services International ().…”

Section: Research Basinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Storage dynamics simulations in prairie wetland hydrology models: evaluation and parameterization

Shook

Pomeroy

Spence³

et al. 2013

Hydrological Processes

107

130

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Abstract:The contributing areas of streams in the Prairie regions of Canada and the northern U.S. are dominated by complexes of wetlands which store and release water. Prior research has suggested the existence of hysteresis between the total volume of water stored in prairie wetlands within a drainage basin and the basin's contributing area. To simulate the relationship between storage and contributing area in a way that accounts for hysteresis, two wetland hydrology models with vastly different levels of complexity were devised. The fully distributed Wetland Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Ponding Model (WDPM) applies simple fluxes of runoff and evaporation to a DEM of a prairie wetland complex. The parameterized Pothole Cascade Model (PCM) applies simulated fluxes of water to collections of conceptual models of wetlands and is less demanding in computations and data. Prior research showed that both models produced hysteretic relationships between water storage and contributing area, but the PCM produced smaller estimates of contributing area than did the WDPM, likely due to its spatial simplification. Using sequential remote sensing observations of wetland area after snowmelt, this study shows that the frequency distribution of the open water areas of prairie wetlands is similar to that produced by the WDPM when the wetlands are close to being completely filled. The remotely sensed observations show evidence of hysteresis in the open water area frequency distributions, as predicted by the fully distributed WDPM. To enable the parameterized PCM to produce the same type of hysteretic relationships as the WDPM, scaling relationships between the maximum area of a wetland and the area of upland draining into it were included. The parameterized PCM is suitable for application with prairie snow redistribution, snowmelt, infiltration, runoff and evapotranspiration routines as part of semi-distributed hydrological modelling of prairie wetland basins such as that implemented in the Cold Regions Hydrological Model.

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Wetland drainage in the Canadian prairies: Nutrient, salt and bacteria characteristics

Cited by 40 publications

References 31 publications

A modelling framework to simulate field‐scale nitrate response and transport during snowmelt: The WINTRA model

A modelling framework to simulate field‐scale nitrate response and transport during snowmelt: The WINTRA model

Hydrological, Physical, and Chemical Functions and Connectivity of Non‐Floodplain Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review

Storage dynamics simulations in prairie wetland hydrology models: evaluation and parameterization

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