Articles | Volume 26, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5555-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5555-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Nov 2022
Research article |
| 08 Nov 2022
| 08 Nov 2022
Assessing runoff sensitivity of North American Prairie Pothole Region basins to wetland drainage using a basin classification-based virtual modelling approach
Christopher Spence
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Zhihua He
Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Kevin R. Shook
Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
John W. Pomeroy
Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Colin J. Whitfield
School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Jared D. Wolfe
Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Related authors
Kevin R. Shook, Paul H. Whitfield, Christopher Spence, and John W. Pomeroy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5173–5192, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5173-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5173-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Recent studies suggest that the velocities of water running off landscapes in the Canadian Prairies may be much smaller than generally assumed. Analyses of historical flows for 23 basins in central Alberta show that many of the rivers responded more slowly and that the flows are much slower than would be estimated from equations developed elsewhere. The effects of slow flow velocities on the development of hydrological models of the region are discussed, as are the possible causes.
Zhihua He, Kevin Shook, Christopher Spence, John W. Pomeroy, and Colin Whitfield
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3525–3546, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3525-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3525-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluated the impacts of climate change on snowmelt, soil moisture, and streamflow over the Canadian Prairies. The entire prairie region was divided into seven basin types. We found strong variations of hydrological sensitivity to precipitation and temperature changes in different land covers and basins, which suggests that different water management and adaptation methods are needed to address enhanced water stress due to expected climate change in different regions of the prairies.
Anthony A. P. Baron, Helen M. Baulch, Ali Nazemi, and Colin J. Whitfield
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1449–1468, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1449-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1449-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We aimed to understand how climate variability and flow management affected the water quality of a key drinking water source. Our focus was on dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and our work demonstrated that DOC can change rapidly, reaching high concentrations in wet periods, when flow sources are dominated by the local catchment. Results indicate that the impacts of high local flow and low inflows from managed sources are compounding water quality challenges, creating issues for water treatment.
André Bertoncini and John W. Pomeroy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 983–1000, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-983-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-983-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall and snowfall spatial estimation for hydrological purposes is often compromised in cold mountain regions due to inaccessibility, creating sparse gauge networks with few high-elevation gauges. This study developed a framework for quantifying gauge network uncertainty, considering elevation to aid in future gauge placement in mountain regions. Results show that gauge placement above 2000 m is the most cost-effective measure to decrease gauge network uncertainty in the Canadian Rockies.
Kevin R. Shook, Paul H. Whitfield, Christopher Spence, and John W. Pomeroy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5173–5192, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5173-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5173-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Recent studies suggest that the velocities of water running off landscapes in the Canadian Prairies may be much smaller than generally assumed. Analyses of historical flows for 23 basins in central Alberta show that many of the rivers responded more slowly and that the flows are much slower than would be estimated from equations developed elsewhere. The effects of slow flow velocities on the development of hydrological models of the region are discussed, as are the possible causes.
Phillip Harder, Warren D. Helgason, and John W. Pomeroy
The Cryosphere, 18, 3277–3295, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3277-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3277-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Remote sensing the amount of water in snow (SWE) at high spatial resolutions is an unresolved challenge. In this work, we tested a drone-mounted passive gamma spectrometer to quantify SWE. We found that the gamma observations could resolve the average and spatial variability of SWE down to 22.5 m resolutions. Further, by combining drone gamma SWE and lidar snow depth we could estimate SWE at sub-metre resolutions which is a new opportunity to improve the measurement of shallow snowpacks.
Mazda Kompanizare, Diogo Costa, Merrin L. Macrae, John W. Pomeroy, and Richard M. Petrone
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2785–2807, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2785-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2785-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A new agricultural tile drainage module was developed in the Cold Region Hydrological Model platform. Tile flow and water levels are simulated by considering the effect of capillary fringe thickness, drainable water and seasonal regional groundwater dynamics. The model was applied to a small well-instrumented farm in southern Ontario, Canada, where there are concerns about the impacts of agricultural drainage into Lake Erie.
Zhihua He, Kevin Shook, Christopher Spence, John W. Pomeroy, and Colin Whitfield
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3525–3546, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3525-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3525-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluated the impacts of climate change on snowmelt, soil moisture, and streamflow over the Canadian Prairies. The entire prairie region was divided into seven basin types. We found strong variations of hydrological sensitivity to precipitation and temperature changes in different land covers and basins, which suggests that different water management and adaptation methods are needed to address enhanced water stress due to expected climate change in different regions of the prairies.
Marcos R. C. Cordeiro, Kang Liang, Henry F. Wilson, Jason Vanrobaeys, David A. Lobb, Xing Fang, and John W. Pomeroy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5917–5931, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5917-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5917-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study addresses the issue of increasing interest in the hydrological impacts of converting cropland to perennial forage cover in the Canadian Prairies. By developing customized models using the Cold Regions Hydrological Modelling (CRHM) platform, this long-term (1992–2013) modelling study is expected to provide stakeholders with science-based information regarding the hydrological impacts of land use conversion from annual crop to perennial forage cover in the Canadian Prairies.
Yi Nan, Zhihua He, Fuqiang Tian, Zhongwang Wei, and Lide Tian
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 4147–4167, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4147-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4147-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Tracer-aided hydrological models are useful tool to reduce uncertainty of hydrological modeling in cold basins, but there is little guidance on the sampling strategy for isotope analysis, which is important for large mountainous basins. This study evaluated the reliance of the tracer-aided modeling performance on the availability of isotope data in the Yarlung Tsangpo river basin, and provides implications for collecting water isotope data for running tracer-aided hydrological models.
Dhiraj Pradhananga and John W. Pomeroy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2605–2616, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2605-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2605-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study considers the combined impacts of climate and glacier changes due to recession on the hydrology and water balance of two high-elevation glaciers. Peyto and Athabasca glacier basins in the Canadian Rockies have undergone continuous glacier loss over the last 3 to 5 decades, leading to an increase in ice exposure and changes to the elevation and slope of the glacier surfaces. Streamflow from these glaciers continues to increase more due to climate warming than glacier recession.
Christopher Spence, Zhihua He, Kevin R. Shook, Balew A. Mekonnen, John W. Pomeroy, Colin J. Whitfield, and Jared D. Wolfe
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1801–1819, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1801-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1801-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We determined how snow and flow in small creeks change with temperature and precipitation in the Canadian Prairie, a region where water resources are often under stress. We tried something new. Every watershed in the region was placed in one of seven groups based on their landscape traits. We selected one of these groups and used its traits to build a model of snow and streamflow. It worked well, and by the 2040s there may be 20 %–40 % less snow and 30 % less streamflow than the 1980s.
Yi Nan, Zhihua He, Fuqiang Tian, Zhongwang Wei, and Lide Tian
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 6151–6172, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6151-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6151-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrological modeling has large problems of uncertainty in cold regions. Tracer-aided hydrological models are increasingly used to reduce uncertainty and refine the parameterizations of hydrological processes, with limited application in large basins due to the unavailability of spatially distributed precipitation isotopes. This study explored the utility of isotopic general circulation models in driving a tracer-aided hydrological model in a large basin on the Tibetan Plateau.
Kunbiao Li, Fuqiang Tian, Mohd Yawar Ali Khan, Ran Xu, Zhihua He, Long Yang, Hui Lu, and Yingzhao Ma
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5455–5467, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5455-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5455-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Due to complex climate and topography, there is still a lack of a high-quality rainfall dataset for hydrological modeling over the Tibetan Plateau. This study aims to establish a high-accuracy daily rainfall product over the southern Tibetan Plateau through merging satellite rainfall estimates based on a high-density rainfall gauge network. Statistical and hydrological evaluation indicated that the new dataset outperforms the raw satellite estimates and several other products of similar types.
Yi Nan, Lide Tian, Zhihua He, Fuqiang Tian, and Lili Shao
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 3653–3673, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3653-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3653-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study integrated a water isotope module into the hydrological model THREW. The isotope-aided model was subsequently applied for process understanding in the glacierized watershed of Karuxung river on the Tibetan Plateau. The model was used to quantify the contribution of runoff component and estimate the water travel time in the catchment. Model uncertainties were significantly constrained by using additional isotopic data, improving the process understanding in the catchment.
Dhiraj Pradhananga, John W. Pomeroy, Caroline Aubry-Wake, D. Scott Munro, Joseph Shea, Michael N. Demuth, Nammy Hang Kirat, Brian Menounos, and Kriti Mukherjee
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 2875–2894, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2875-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2875-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents hydrological, meteorological, glaciological and geospatial data of Peyto Glacier Basin in the Canadian Rockies. They include high-resolution DEMs derived from air photos and lidar surveys and long-term hydrological and glaciological model forcing datasets derived from bias-corrected reanalysis products. These data are crucial for studying climate change and variability in the basin and understanding the hydrological responses of the basin to both glacier and climate change.
Paul H. Whitfield, Philip D. A. Kraaijenbrink, Kevin R. Shook, and John W. Pomeroy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2513–2541, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2513-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2513-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Using only warm season streamflow records, regime and change classifications were produced for ~ 400 watersheds in the Nelson and Mackenzie River basins, and trends in water storage and vegetation were detected from satellite imagery. Three areas show consistent changes: north of 60° (increased streamflow and basin greenness), in the western Boreal Plains (decreased streamflow and basin greenness), and across the Prairies (three different patterns of increased streamflow and basin wetness).
Chris M. DeBeer, Howard S. Wheater, John W. Pomeroy, Alan G. Barr, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Jill F. Johnstone, Merritt R. Turetsky, Ronald E. Stewart, Masaki Hayashi, Garth van der Kamp, Shawn Marshall, Elizabeth Campbell, Philip Marsh, Sean K. Carey, William L. Quinton, Yanping Li, Saman Razavi, Aaron Berg, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Christopher Spence, Warren D. Helgason, Andrew M. Ireson, T. Andrew Black, Mohamed Elshamy, Fuad Yassin, Bruce Davison, Allan Howard, Julie M. Thériault, Kevin Shook, Michael N. Demuth, and Alain Pietroniro
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 1849–1882, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1849-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1849-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This article examines future changes in land cover and hydrological cycling across the interior of western Canada under climate conditions projected for the 21st century. Key insights into the mechanisms and interactions of Earth system and hydrological process responses are presented, and this understanding is used together with model application to provide a synthesis of future change. This has allowed more scientifically informed projections than have hitherto been available.
Julie M. Thériault, Stephen J. Déry, John W. Pomeroy, Hilary M. Smith, Juris Almonte, André Bertoncini, Robert W. Crawford, Aurélie Desroches-Lapointe, Mathieu Lachapelle, Zen Mariani, Selina Mitchell, Jeremy E. Morris, Charlie Hébert-Pinard, Peter Rodriguez, and Hadleigh D. Thompson
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 1233–1249, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-1233-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-1233-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This article discusses the data that were collected during the Storms and Precipitation Across the continental Divide (SPADE) field campaign in spring 2019 in the Canadian Rockies, along the Alberta and British Columbia border. Various instruments were installed at five field sites to gather information about atmospheric conditions focussing on precipitation. Details about the field sites, the instrumentation used, the variables collected, and the collection methods and intervals are presented.
Vincent Vionnet, Christopher B. Marsh, Brian Menounos, Simon Gascoin, Nicholas E. Wayand, Joseph Shea, Kriti Mukherjee, and John W. Pomeroy
The Cryosphere, 15, 743–769, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-743-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-743-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Mountain snow cover provides critical supplies of fresh water to downstream users. Its accurate prediction requires inclusion of often-ignored processes. A multi-scale modelling strategy is presented that efficiently accounts for snow redistribution. Model accuracy is assessed via airborne lidar and optical satellite imagery. With redistribution the model captures the elevation–snow depth relation. Redistribution processes are required to reproduce spatial variability, such as around ridges.
Richard Essery, Hyungjun Kim, Libo Wang, Paul Bartlett, Aaron Boone, Claire Brutel-Vuilmet, Eleanor Burke, Matthias Cuntz, Bertrand Decharme, Emanuel Dutra, Xing Fang, Yeugeniy Gusev, Stefan Hagemann, Vanessa Haverd, Anna Kontu, Gerhard Krinner, Matthieu Lafaysse, Yves Lejeune, Thomas Marke, Danny Marks, Christoph Marty, Cecile B. Menard, Olga Nasonova, Tomoko Nitta, John Pomeroy, Gerd Schädler, Vladimir Semenov, Tatiana Smirnova, Sean Swenson, Dmitry Turkov, Nander Wever, and Hua Yuan
The Cryosphere, 14, 4687–4698, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4687-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4687-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Climate models are uncertain in predicting how warming changes snow cover. This paper compares 22 snow models with the same meteorological inputs. Predicted trends agree with observations at four snow research sites: winter snow cover does not start later, but snow now melts earlier in spring than in the 1980s at two of the sites. Cold regions where snow can last until late summer are predicted to be particularly sensitive to warming because the snow then melts faster at warmer times of year.
Cited articles
AAFC: Detailed Soil Surveys, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Government of Canada [data set], https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/7ed13bbe-fbac-417c-a942-ea2b3add1748 (last access: 5 July 2022), 2015.
AAFC: Annual Crop Inventory, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Government of Canada [data set], https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ba2645d5-4458-414d-b196-6303ac06c1c9 (last access: 5 July 2022), 2016.
Acreman, M. and Holden, J.:
How wetlands effect floods, Wetlands, 33, 773–786, 2013.
Ali, G. and English, C.:
Phytoplankton blooms in Lake Winnipeg linked to selective water-gatekeeper connectivity, Sci. Rep.-UK, 9, 8395, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44717-y, 2019.
Ali, G., Haque, A., Basu, N. B., Badiou, P., and Wilson, H.:
Groundwater-driven wetland-stream connectivity in the Prairie Pothole Region: Inferences based on electrical conductivity data, Wetlands, 37, 773–785, 2017.
Ameli, A. A. and Creed, I. F.:
Quantifying hydrologic connectivity of wetlands to surface water systems, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1791–1808, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1791-2017, 2017.
Armstrong R. N., Pomeroy J. W., and Martz L. W.:
Variability in evaporation across the Canadian Prairie region during drought and non-drought periods, J. Hydrol., 521, 182–195, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.11.070, 2015.
Baulch, H., Whitfield, C., Wolfe, J., Basu, N., Bedard-Haughn, A., Belcher, K., Clark, R., Ferguson, G., Hayashi, M., Ireson, A., Lloyd-Smith, P., Loring, P., Pomeroy, J. W., Shook, K., and Spence, C.:
Synthesis of science: findings on Canadian Prairie wetland drainage, Can. Water Resour. J., 46, 229–241, https://doi.org/10.1080/07011784.2021.1973911, 2021.
Brannen, R., Spence, C., and Ireson, A.:
Influence of shallow groundwater-surface water interactions on the hydrological connectivity and water budget of a wetland complex, Hydrol. Process., 29, 3862–3877, 2015.
Bullock, A. and Acreman, M.:
The role of wetlands in the hydrological cycle, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 7, 358–389, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-7-358-2003, 2003.
Chambers, J. M.: tatistical Models in Southern California,
Linear models, in: Statistical Models, edited by: Chambers, J. M. and Hastie, T. J., Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, ISBN 0 534 16765-9,
1992.
Cohen, M. J., Creed, I. F., Alexander, L., Basu, N. B., Calhoun, A. J. K., Craft, C., D'Amico, E., DeKeyser, E., Fowler, L., Golden, H. E., Jawitz, J. W., Kalla, P., Kirkman, K., Lane, C. R., Lang, M., Leibowitz, S. G., Lewis, D. B., Marton, J., McLaughlin D. L., Mushet, D. M., Raanan-Kiperwas, H., Rains, M. C., Smith, L., and Walls, S. C.:
Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape function?, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113, 1978–1986, 2016.
Cortus, B. G., Unterschultz, J. R., Jeffrey, S. R., and Boxall, P. C.:
The impacts of agriculture support programs on wetland retention on grain farms in the Prairie Pothole Region, Can. Water Resour. J., 34, 245–254, 2009.
Davidson, N. C.:
How much wetland has the world lost? Long term and recent trends in global wetland area, Mar. Freshwater Res., 65, 936–941, 2014.
Dingman, S. L.:
Effects of permafrost on stream characteristics in the discontinuous permafrost zone of Central Alaska, Permafrost: North American Contribution to the Second International Conference, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, Yakutsk, USSR, 13–28 July 1973, 447–453, 1973.
Dumanski, S., Pomeroy, J. W., and Westbrook, C. J.:
Hydrological regime changes in a Canadian Prairie basin, Hydrol. Process., 29, 3893–3904, 2015.
Ehsanzadeh, E.:
Impact of climate variability and wetland drainage on watershed response in depression dominated landscapes, Int. J. River Basin Mgmt., 16, 169–178, 2016.
Ehsanzadeh, E., Spence, C., van der Kamp, G., and McConkey, B.:
On the behaviour of dynamic contributing areas and flood frequency cures in North American Prairie watersheds, J. Hydrol., 414–415, 364–373, 2012.
Fang, X., Pomeroy, J. W., Westbrook, C. J., Guo, X., Minke, A. G., and Brown, T.:
Prediction of snowmelt derived streamflow in a wetland dominated prairie basin, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 991–1006, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-991-2010, 2010.
Farr, T. G., Rosen, P. A., Caro, E., Crippen, R., Duren, R., Hensley, S., Kobrick, M., Paller, M., Rodriguez, E., Roth, L., Seal, D., Shaffer, S., Shimada, J., Umland, J., Werner, M., Oskin, M., Burbank, D., and Alsdorf, D.:
The shuttle radar topography mission, Rev. Geophys., 45, RG2004, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005RG000183, 2007.
Gleason, R. A., Tangen, B. A., Laubhan, M. K., Kermes, K. E., and Euliss Jr., N. H.:
Estimating water storage capacity of existing and potentially restorable wetland depressions in a subbasin of the Red River of the North, U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007–1159, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston,, 36 pp., 2007.
Godwin, R. B. and Martin, F. R. J.:
Calculation of gross and effective drainage areas for the Prairie Provinces, Canadian Hydrology Symposium – 1975 Proceedings, 11–14 August 1975, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Associate Committee on Hydrology, National Research Council of Canada, 219–223, 1975.
Golden, H. E., Lane, C. R., Amatya, D. M., Bandilla, K. W., Kiperwas, H. R., Knightes, C. D., and Ssegane, H.: Hydrologic connectivity between geographicall isolated wetlands and surface water systems: A review of select modeling methods, Environ. Modell. Softw., 53, 190–206, 2014.
GSC:
Canadian Geoscience Map, Surficial geology of Canada/Géologie des formations superficielles du Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, 195 pp., https://doi.org/10.4095/295462, 2014.
Haque, A., Ali, G., and Badiou, P.:
Hydrological dynamics of prairie pothole wetlands: Dominant processes and landscape controls under contrasted conditions, Hydrol. Process., 32, 2405–2422, 2017.
Hayashi, M., van der Kamp, G., and Rudolph, D. L.:
Water and solute transfer between a prairie wetland and adjacent uplands, 1. Water balance, J. Hydrol., 207, 42–55, 1998.
Hayashi, M., van der Kamp, G., and Schmidt, R.:
Focused infiltration of snowmelt water in partially frozen soil under small depressions, J. Hydrol., 270, 214–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-1694(02)00287-1, 2003.
Hayashi, M., van der Kamp, G., and Rosenberry, D. O.:
Hydrology of prairie wetlands: Understanding the integrated surface-water and groundwater processes, Wetlands, 36, S237–S254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0797-9, 2016.
He, Z., Shook, K., Spence, C., Pomeroy, J. W., Whitfield, C. J., and olfe, J. D.: Virtual Watershed Model Simulations for Typified Prairie Watersheds in Pothole Till, Federated Data Research Depository [data set],
https://doi.org/10.20383/103.0650, 2022.
Hu, S., Niu, Z., Chen, Y., Li, L., and Zhang, H.:
Global wetlands: Potential distribution, wetland loss, and status, Sci. Total Environ., 586, 319–327, 2017.
Hubbard, D. E. and Linder, R. L.:
Spring runoff retention in Prairie Pothole wetlands, J. Soil Water Conserv., 41, 122–125, 1986.
Johnson, W. C., Millett, B. V., Gilmanov, T., Voldseth, R. A., Guntenspergen, G. R., and Naugle, D. E.:
Vulnerability of northern prairie wetlands to climate change, Bioscience, 55, 863–872, 2005.
Labaugh, J. W., Winter, T. C., and Rosenberry, D. O.:
Hydrologic functions of prairie wetlands, Great Plains Research, 8, 17–37, 1998.
Lehner, B. and Grill, G.: Global river hydrography and network
routing: baseline data and new approaches to study the world’s
large river systems, Hydrol. Process., 27, 2171–2186, 2013.
Leibowitz, S. G. and Vining, K. C.:
Temporal connectivity in a prairie pothole complex, Wetlands, 23, 13–25, 2003.
Leibowitz, S. G., Mushet, D. M., and Newton, W. E.:
Intermittent surface water connectivity: Fill and spill vs fill and merge dynamics, Wetlands, 36, 323–342, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0830-z, 2016.
Li, X., Bellerby, R., Craft, C., and Widney, S. E.:
Coastal wetland loss, consequences, and challenges for restoration, Anthropocene Coasts, 1, 1–15, 2018.
Liu, G. and Schwartz, F. W.:
An integrated observational and model-based analysis of the hydrologic response of prairie pothole systems to variability in climate, Water Resour. Res., 47, W02504, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010WR009084, 2011.
Lloyd-Smith, P., Boxall, P., and Belcher, K.:
From rhetoric to measurement: The economics of wetland conservation in the Canadian Prairies, Smart Prosperity Institute Clean Economy Working Paper Series, WP 20-05, Smart Prosperity Institute, Ottawa, 37 pp., 2020.
Male, D. H. and Gray, D. M.: Snowcover ablation and runoff, in: Handbook of Snow: Principles, Processes, Management and Use, edited by: Gray, D. M. and Male, D. H., Pergamon Press, Toronto, 360–436, ISBN 10 0080253741, 1981.
McCauley, L. A., Anteau, M. J., Post van der Burg, M., and Wiltermuth, M. T.:
Land use and wetland drainage affect water levels and dynamics of remaining wetlands, Ecosphere 6, 1–22, 2015.
McKenna, O. P., Kucia, S. R., Mushet, D. M., Anteau, M. J., and Wiltermuth, M. T.:
Synergistic interaction of climate and land-use drivers alter the function of North American, Prairie-Pothole wetlands, Sustainability, 11, 6581, https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236581, 2019.
McNamara, J. P., Kane, D. L., and Hinzman, L. D.:
An analysis of streamflow hydrology in the Kuparuk River Basin Arctic Alaska: a nested watershed approach, J. Hydrol., 206, 39–57, 1998.
Mekis, É. and Vincent, L. A.:
An overview of the second generation adjusted daily precipitation dataset for trend analysis in Canada, Atmosphere-Ocean, 49, 163–177, 2011.
Millar, J. B.:
Shoreline-area ratio as a factor in rate of water loss from small sloughs, J. Hydrol., 14, 259–284, 1971.
Miller, B. A., Crumpton, W. G., and van der Valk, A. G.:
Spatial distribution of historical wetland classes on the Des Moines Lobe, Iowa, Wetlands, 29, 1146–1152, 2009.
Miller, M. W. and Nudds, T. D.:
Prairie landscape change and flooding in the Mississippi River Valley, Conserv. Biol., 10, 847–853, 1996.
Muggeo, V. M. R.:
Estimating regression models with unknown break-points, Stat. Med., 22, 3055–3071, 2003.
Niemuth, N. D., Wangler, B., and Reynolds, R. E.:
Spatial and temporal variation in wet area of wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and South Dakota, Wetlands, 30, 1053–1064, 2010.
Pekel, J.-F., Cottam, A., Gorelick, N., and Belward, A. S.:
High-resolution mapping of global surface water and its long-term changes, Nature, 540, 418–422, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature20584, 2016.
Phillips, R. W., Spence, C., and Pomeroy, J. W.:
Connectivity and runoff dynamics in heterogeneous basins, Hydrol. Process., 25, 3061–3075, 2011.
Poiani, K. A. and Johnson, W. C.:
A spatial simulation model of hydrology and vegetation dynamics in semi-permanent prairie wetlands, Ecol. Appl., 3, 279–293, 1993.
Pomeroy, J. W. and Li, L.: Prairie and arctic areal snow cover mass
balance using a blowing snow model, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos.,
105, 26619–26634, 2000.
Pomeroy, J. W., Granger, R. J., Pietroniro, A., Toth, B., Hedstrom, N. R., and Woxholtt, S.: Classification of the boreal forest for hydrological processes, in: Proceedings of 9th International Boreal Forest Research Association Conference, Oslo, Norway, 21–23 September 1998, 49–59, 1999.
Pomeroy, J. W., Gray, D. M., Brown T., Hedstrom, N. H., Quinton, W. L., Granger, R. J., and Carey, S. K.:
The cold regions hydrological model: a platform for basing process representation and model structure on physical evidence, Hydrol. Process., 21, 2650–2667, 2007.
Pomeroy, J. W., Fang, X., Westbrook, C., Minke, A., Guo, X., and Brown, T.:
Prairie Hydrological Model Study Final Report, Centre for Hydrology Report No. 7, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, 113 pp., 2010.
Pomeroy, J. W., Fang, X., Shook, K., Westbrook, C., and Brown, T.:
Informing the Vermilion River Watershed Plan through Application of the Cold Regions Hydrological Model Platform, 2012, Centre for Hydrology Report #12, Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, Saskatoon, 2012.
Pomeroy, J. W., Shook, K., Fang, X., Dumanski, S., Westbrook, C., and Brown, T.:
Improving and testing the prairie hydrological model at Smith Creek Research Basin, Centre for Hydrology Report #14, Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, Saskatoon, 2014.
Rannie, W. F.:
The Red River flood control system and recent flood events, Water Resour. Bull., 16, 207–214, 1980.
Rosenberry, D. O. and Winter, T. C.:
Dynamics of water table fluctuations in an upland between two prairie pothole wetlands in North Dakota, J. Hydrol., 191, 266–289, 1997.
Shaw, D. A., Vanderkamp, G., Conly, F. M., Pietroniro, A., and Martz, L.:
The fill–spill hydrology of prairie wetland complexes during drought and deluge, Hydrol. Process., 26, 3147–3156, 2012.
Shook, K., Pomeroy, J. W., Spence, C., and Boychuk, L.:
Storage dynamics simulations in prairie wetland hydrology models: evaluation and parameterization, Hydrol. Process., 27, 1875–1889, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9867, 2013.
Shook, K., Papalexiou, S., and Pomeroy, J. W.:
Quantifying the effects of Prairie depressional storage complexes on drainage basin connectivity, J. Hydrol., 593, 125846, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125846, 2021.
Simonovic, S. P. and Juliano, K. M.:
The role of wetlands during low frequency flooding events in the Red River Basin, Can. Water Resour. J., 26, 377–397, 2001.
Spence, C.: On the relation between dynamic storage and runoff: A discussion on thresholds, efficiency, and function, Water Res. Res., 43, W12416, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005645, 2007.
Spence, C. and Mengistu, S. G.: On the relationship between floods and contributing area, Hydrol. Process., 33, 1980–1992, 2019.
Spence, C., He, Z., Shook, K. R., Mekonnen, B. A., Pomeroy, J. W., Whitfield, C. J., and Wolfe, J. D.:
Assessing hydrological sensitivity of grassland basins in the Canadian Prairies to climate using a basin classification-based virtual modelling approach, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1801–1819, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1801-2022, 2022.
Statistics Canada: Table 32-10-0162-01, Selected land management practices and tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, historical data, Census of Agriculture, Statistics Canada, Government of Canada, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=3210016201 (last access: 5 July 2022), 2016.
Stichling, W. and Blackwell, S. R.:
Drainage area as a hydrologic factor on the Canadian prairies, IUGG Proceedings, Toronto, Ontario, September 1957,
365–376,
1958.
Su, M., Stolte, W. J., and van der Kamp, G.:
Modelling Canadian prairie wetland hydrology using a semi-distributed streamflow model, Hydrol. Process., 14, 2405–2422, 2000.
Tiner, R. W.:
Geographically isolated wetlands of the United States, Wetlands, 23, 494–516, 2003.
van der Kamp, G. and Hayashi, M.:
The groundwater recharge function of small wetlands in the semi-arid northern prairies, Great Plains Research, 8, 39–56, 1998.
van der Kamp, G. and Hayashi, M.:
Groundwater wetland ecosystem interaction in the semiarid glaciated plains of North America, Hydrogeol. J., 17, 203–214, 2009.
van Meter, K. J. and Basu, N. B.:
Signatures of human impact: size distributions and spatial organization of wetlands in the Prairie Pothole landscape, Ecol. Appl., 25, 451–465, 2015.
Vickruck, J., Purvis, E. E., Kwafo, R., Kerstiens, H., and Galpern, P.:
Diversifying Landscapes for Wild Bees: Strategies for North American Prairie Agroecosystems, Current Landscape Ecology Reports, 6, 1–12, 2021.
Vincent, L. A., Wang, X. L., Milewska, E. J., Wan, H., Yang, F., and Swail, V.:
A second generation of homogenized Canadian monthly surface air temperature for climate trend analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D181, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD017859, 2012.
Whitfield, P. H., Shook, K. R., and Pomeroy, J. W.:
Spatial patterns of temporal changes in Canadian Prairie streamflow using an alternative trend assessment approach, J. Hydrol., 582, 124541, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124541, 2020.
Wilkinson, G. N. and Rogers, C. E.:
Symbolic descriptions of factorial models for analysis of variance, Appl. Stat., 22, 392–399, https://doi.org/10.2307/2346786, 1973.
Wilson, H. F., Casson, N. J., Glenn, A. J., Badiou, P., and Boychuk, L.:
Landscape controls on nutrient export during snowmelt and an extreme rainfall runoff event in northern agricultural watersheds, J. Environ. Qual., 48, 841–849, 2019.
Winter, T. C.and Rosenberry, D. O.:
The interaction of groundwater with prairie pothole wetlands in the Cottonwood Lake area, east-central North Dakota, 1997–1990, Wetlands, 15, 193–211, 1995.
Winter, T. C. and Rosenberry, D. O.:
Hydrology of prairie pothole wetlands during drought and deluge: A 17-year study of the Cottonwood Lake wetlands complex in North Dakota in the perspective of longer term measured and proxy hydrological records, Climatic Change, 40, 189–209, 1998.
Wolfe, J. D., Shook, K. R., Spence, C., and Whitfield, C. J.:
A watershed classification approach that looks beyond hydrology: application to a semi-arid, agricultural region in Canada, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3945–3967, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3945-2019, 2019.
Woo, M. K. and Rowsell, R. D.:
Hydrology of a prairie slough, J. Hydrol., 146, 175–207, 1993.
Zhang, Z., Stadnyk, T. A., and Burn, D. H.:
Identification of a preferred statistical distribution for at-site flood frequency analysis in Canada, Can. Water Resour. J., 45, 43–58, https://doi.org/10.1080/07011784.2019.1691942, 2020.
Short summary
We learnt how streamflow from small creeks could be altered by wetland removal in the Canadian Prairies, where this practice is pervasive. Every creek basin in the region was placed into one of seven groups. We selected one of these groups and used its traits to simulate streamflow. The model worked well enough so that we could trust the results even if we removed the wetlands. Wetland removal did not change low flow amounts very much, but it doubled high flow and tripled average flow.
We learnt how streamflow from small creeks could be altered by wetland removal in the Canadian...
