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| Titel |
Streamflow input to Lake Athabasca, Canada |
| VerfasserIn |
K. Rasouli, M. A. Hernández-Henríquez, S. J. Déry |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1027-5606
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ; 17, no. 5 ; Nr. 17, no. 5 (2013-05-02), S.1681-1691 |
| Datensatznummer |
250018864
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/hess-17-1681-2013.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The Lake Athabasca drainage area in northern Canada encompasses
ecologically rich and sensitive ecosystems, vast forests, glacier-clad
mountains, and abundant oil reserves in the form of oil sands. The basin
includes the Peace–Athabasca Delta, recognized internationally by UNESCO and
the Ramsar Convention as a biologically rich inland delta and wetland that
are now under increasing pressure from multiple stressors. In this study,
streamflow variability and trends for rivers feeding Lake Athabasca are
investigated over the last half century. Hydrological regimes and trends are
established using a robust regime shift detection method and the Mann–Kendall
(MK) test, respectively. Results show that the Athabasca River, which is the
main contributor to the total lake inflow, experienced marked declines in
recent decades impacting lake levels and its ecosystem. From 1960 to 2010
there was a significant reduction in lake inflow and a significant
recession in the Lake Athabasca level. Our trend analysis corroborates a
previous study using proxy data obtained from nearby sediment cores
suggesting that the lake level may drop 2 to 3 m by 2100. The lake
recession may threaten the flora and fauna of the Athabasca Lake basin and
negatively impact the ecological cycle of an inland freshwater delta and
wetland of global importance. |
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