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Introduction to Climate Change in the Columbia Basin

Introduction to Climate Change in the Columbia Basin. Stewart Cohen Adaptation & Impacts Research Division (AIRD) Environment Canada Located at Dept. of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia.

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Introduction to Climate Change in the Columbia Basin

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  1. Introduction to Climate Change in the Columbia Basin Stewart Cohen Adaptation & Impacts Research Division (AIRD) Environment Canada Located at Dept. of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Presented at Columbia Basin Trust-Communities Adapting to Climate Change events February, 2010

  2. Outline… Key things to remember Projected future climate.Warmer wetter winters, warmer drier summers, earlier snowmelt. Implications for land and water include changes in seasonal cycles of streamflow, potential suitability for spruce and fir growth, and fire risk. Planning for climate change includes actions to reduce risk (“adaptation”) and to reduce carbon emissions (“mitigation”); is it possible to identify actions that accomplish both objectives?

  3. Temperature – Past and Future Temperature: Past and Future

  4. Precipitation – Past and Future

  5. Observed trends: Cranbrook--warmer, more rain, less snow; St. Mary River--earlier streamflow, lower peak flow St Mary River near Marysville Slide from T. Murdock, PCIC

  6. Basin Climate Trends – 1913 to 2002(from Murdock et al., 2007) Mean Annual Temperature Mean Annual Precipitation +1.5 oC +32% rainfall; -6% snowfall Note: Data from Cranbrook, Golden, Creston, Kaslo, Revelstoke. Kaslo trends: temperature = +1.3°C, rainfall = +44%, snowfall = +5%

  7. Columbia Basin (BC) Climate Projections Source: Trevor Murdock, PCIC (Table 1 in Lane et al, in press)

  8. Glacier recession at Rogers Pass (from Columbia Basin Trust 2006, Starting the Dialogue)

  9. Visualization of historic (+0.45 °C) and projected shifts (+2.5 °C) in ecosystems in Glacier National Park (Blackfoot-Jackson)(source: Hall and Fagre, 2003; Bioscience, 53, 131-140) • Website: http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/glacier_model.htm

  10. Columbia BasinImpacts of Climate Change on Streamflow • Less snow, earlier melt means less water in summer • irrigation • urban uses • fisheries protection • energy production • More water in winter • energy production • flooding Natural Columbia River flow at the Dalles, Oregon Source: P. Mote, University of Washington, 1997

  11. Columbia Basin April 1 Snowpack: projected decreases Source: Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington (Mote et al., 2005)

  12. Potential Suitability: Douglas Fir – Past and Future (Source: Werner et al., 2008) (% projections, based on 10 models)

  13. Potential Suitability: Engelmann & White Spruce – Past and Future (Source: Werner et al., 2008) (% projections, based on 10 models)

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