ABSTRACT: -A framework for broad scale definition of water resources in the boreal forest: consider topography last?

CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Abstract

We present a framework for defining effective hydrologic response area (HRA's) in landscapes at both local and regional scales. This framework summarizes research conducted at the Utikuma Research Study Area (URSA), Alberta, Canada, where sub-humid climate (P = PET), low relief and deep glaciated substrates result in the dominance of vadose zone storage, evapotranspiration and vertical, rather than lateral water exchange in hillslope water balances. Furthermore, heterogeneity in the scale of surface-water and groundwater interactions is associated with heterogeneity of glacial landforms (e.g., sand outwash, clay-silt moraines, and low-lying lacustrine clay with peatlands) that precludes the use of topographic watershed boundaries to define water sources. We present a comparative analysis of hydrologic cycling in different regions of the Boreal Forest that forms the basis for a hierarchy of factors to classify hydrological systems. The hierarchy moves in the direction of decreasing spatial scale when considering the relative importance of controlling factors in water cycling. This analysis shows that regional sampling and mapping to select representative landscape units that reflect climate, bedrock and surficial geology, and soil type and depth controls on hydrological systems, prior to topography, are imperative for defining the scale of interaction and effective generalizations of water and energy cycles in the Western Boreal Forest. This framework is designed to aid in the regionalization of catchment hydrology, direct the effective use of instrumentation, monitoring and modeling approaches, and direct adaptive management of water resources in both simple and complex landscapes.

Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology