WICI Talk: A Wildfire Case Study in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

Managing water quality and quantity in a changing climate: A wildfire case study in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

The contemporary increase in frequency and severity of wildfires in western North America can be considered a current manifestation of climate change in North America. The Southern Rockies Watershed Project was established shortly after the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire (> 210 km2) to describe both the early magnitude, and subsequent trajectory of recovery of a broad range of watershed "values" in the high water yielding region of Alberta's Southern Rockies. The research area located near the Crowsnest Pass (Alberta) encompasses 7 large instrumented watersheds including burned (3), burned & salvage logged (2) and unburned watersheds (2). This presentation describes changes in runoff dynamics and water quality during five years (2004-2008) to highlight water quality and quantity management challenges in a changing climate.

Speaker Profile: Mike Stone

Dr. Michael Stone is a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. His research program is directed towards the study of land use change and its impact on surface water quality in natural and built environments. The work focuses primarily on the source, transport and fate of sediment associated contaminants in aquatic environments and the transfer of this knowledge to environmental management. Over the past decade, he has conducted a wide range of field and watershed scale studies in geographical locations that include the lower Great Lakes basin, Slave River delta (NWT), the Coppermine River Basin (NWT) and China (Inner Mongolia). His current research is focused on studies to 1) assess the efficacy of best management practices to mitigate the effects of chloride in the environment 2) quantify wildfire related land disturbance impacts on water quality in headwater streams of the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, Alberta and 3) the effect of zebra mussels on particle transport dynamics in the near-shore zone of Lake Ontario.