Hydrometeorological data from Marmot Creek Research Basin, Canadian Rockies
<p>Meteorological, snow survey, streamflow, and groundwater data are presented from Marmot Creek Research Basin, Alberta, Canada. The basin is a 9.4 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span>, alpine–montane forest headwater catchment of the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Earth System Science Data |
| Online Access: | https://www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/11/455/2019/essd-11-455-2019.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>Meteorological, snow survey, streamflow, and groundwater data are presented
from Marmot Creek Research Basin, Alberta, Canada. The basin is a
9.4 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span>, alpine–montane forest headwater catchment of the Saskatchewan
River basin that provides vital water supplies to the Prairie Provinces of
Canada. It was heavily instrumented, experimented upon, and operated by
several federal government agencies between 1962 and 1986, during which time
its main and sub-basin streams were gauged, automated meteorological stations
at multiple elevations were installed, groundwater observation wells were dug
and automated, and frequent manual measurements of snow accumulation and
ablation and other weather and water variables were made. Over this period,
mature evergreen forests were harvested in two sub-basins, leaving large
clear cuts in one basin and a “honeycomb” of small forest clearings in
another basin. Whilst meteorological measurements and sub-basin streamflow
discharge weirs in the basin were removed in the late 1980s, the federal
government maintained the outlet streamflow discharge measurements and a
nearby high-elevation meteorological station, and the Alberta provincial
government maintained observation wells and a nearby fire weather station.
Marmot Creek Research Basin was intensively re-instrumented with 12 automated
meteorological stations, four sub-basin hydrometric sites, and seven snow
survey transects starting in 2004 by the University of Saskatchewan Centre
for Hydrology. The observations provide detailed information on meteorology,
precipitation, soil moisture, snowpack, streamflow, and groundwater during
the historical period from 1962 to 1987 and the modern period from 2005 to
the present time. These data are ideal for monitoring climate change,
developing hydrological process understanding, evaluating process algorithms
and hydrological, cryospheric, or atmospheric models, and examining the
response of basin hydrological cycling to changes in climate, extreme
weather, and land cover through hydrological modelling and statistical
analyses. The data presented are publicly available from Federated Research
Data Repository (<a href="https://doi.org/10.20383/101.09">https://doi.org/10.20383/101.09</a>, Fang et al., 2018).</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1866-3508 1866-3516 |