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      Hydrologic response to spring snowmelt and extreme rainfall events of different landscape elements within a prairie wetland basin

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      LungalThesis_FINAL-25-06-09.pdf (807.8Kb)
      Date
      2009
      Author
      Lungal, Murray
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
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      Abstract
      Depressions in the prairie pothole region (PPR) are commonly referred to as sloughs and were formed during the most recent glacial retreat, ~10-17 kyrs ago. They are hydrologically isolated, as they are not permanently connected by surface inflow or outflow channels. Extreme thunderstorms are common across the prairies and the hydrologic response of isolated wetlands to intense rainfall events is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to compare the response of different landscape/ecological elements of a prairie wetland to snowmelt and extreme rainstorms. Comparisons were completed by investigating the spring snowmelts of 2005 and 2006 and the rainstorm event of June 17 - 18, 2005, in which 103 mm fell at the St. Denis National Wildlife Area (NWA) Saskatchewan, Canada (106°06'W, 52°02'N). The wetland was separated into five landscape positions, the pond center (PC), grassed edge (GE), tree ring (TR), convex upland (CXU), and concave upland (CVU). Comparison of the rainfall of June 17 – 18, 2005 with the spring snowmelts of 2005 and 2006 indicates that the hydrologic consequences of these different events are similar. Overland flow, substantial ponding in lowlands, and recharge of the groundwater occur in both cases. Analysis of this intense rainfall has provided evidence that common, intense rainstorms are hydrologically equivalent to the annual spring snowmelt, the major source of water for closed catchments in the PPR.
      Degree
      Master of Science (M.Sc.)
      Department
      Soil Science
      Program
      Soil Science
      Supervisor
      Si, Bing C.
      Copyright Date
      2009
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-06252009-125234
      Subject
      St. Denis National Wildlife Area
      prairie pothole region
      extreme rainfall event
      wetland hydrology
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