Assessing cumulative hydrological impacts from forest disturbance and climate change in Duteau Creek community watershed

There are growing concerns over the cumulative hydrological effects of forest disturbance on hydrology in the Duteau Creek community watershed. The objectives of this proposed study are: 1) to calibrate and validate the hydrological model SWAT; 2) to assess the cumulative hydrological effects of proposed forest harvesting under future climate change impacts; and 3) to evaluate possible hydrological impacts of spatial arrangements (or patterns) of forest disturbance or harvesting. Answering these questions would provide important and timely results to support local decision makers to manage cumulative hydrological impacts under an increasing human demand and climate change context. A hydrological model (SWAT) is mainly proposed to conduct this research. While SWAT is a popular hydrological model widely used in many watersheds, its applications on cumulative hydrological effects caused by forest disturbance and landscape patterns is rare, which is a key innovation of this proposal.

Faculty Supervisor:

Xiaohua (Adam) Wei;P. Jefferson Curtis

Student:

Ming Qiu

Partner:

Regional District of North Okanagan

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of British Columbia Okanagan