Environmental Flows in a Changing Climate

PCIC and our sister organization, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, will be co-hosting another Pacific Climate Seminar Series, running from September 2014 through May 2015. Recognized experts in disciplines within and closely associated with climate science will share their knowledge and recent research findings, with a focus on issues of interest to stakeholders in British Columbia. Dr. Daniel Peters from Environment Canada's Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre will present the first talk, titled, Environmental Flows in a Changing Climate.

A number of factors influence the health of river and linked floodplain and lake ecosystems, many of which are influenced by streamflow.  Increasing demands upon water for irrigation, hydroelectric power productions, resource extraction, and municipal uses have led to the intensification of surface and subsurface water use across many regions of Canada.  In combination with climate change, such water use may result in significant modifications to the natural streamflow regime (e.g., magnitude and timing) and impact the structure and functioning of the river system.  Internationally, there have been numerous simple to sophisticated ecological flow needs methodologies developed to determine the quantity of water through time required to maintain the health of a river in a particular state.  The goal of this presentation is three-fold: 1) present a brief overview of ecological flow needs science in Canada, 2) present recent advancements in the development of assessment tools and hydrological model assessment, and 3) explore the development of ecological flow needs recommendations in a changing climate.