NRCan’s Simply Science highlights C1W - The science of seeing into the future: Canada’s groundwater
“With scientists predicting major water shortages in less than 10 years, we need to make smart choices today about how to use and protect our water resources. The Canada1Water project aims to help. Co-led by Natural Resources Canada’s Groundwater Geoscience Program and Aquanty Inc., it will give Canadians powerful new tools to understand the country’s water future.” - Simply Science
The Conversation - Understanding the dynamics of snow cover in forests can help us predict flood risks
An piece in The Conversation highlights the important role that winter snowpack plays on hydrology, and how a better understanding of snow depth in forested catchments can help us better predict flood risks during the spring freshet.
A data-driven feedback loop
As General Manager of Conservation Ontario, Angela Coleman sees abundant opportunities for conservation authorities to get value from Canada1Water — and to give back in return.
Bringing the model to the masses
Delivering C1W data to the public demands a user-friendly web portal that’s built for a digitally savvy audience. Derek Steinmoeller, leader of the Aquanty team spearheading that effort, offers a preview of what’s in the works.
What does a wildfire cost?
By the end of summer 2023, Canada had lost a record 13.7 million hectares of land to wildfires. Dan McKenney and Emily Hope of the Canadian Forest Service explain how C1W data is helping shed light on the true costs of wildfires and informing new fire management approaches.
Taking the plunge into immersive science
Are tools like virtual and augmented reality the next frontier in hydrologic modelling? C1W co-lead Hazen Russell and Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library manager Jordan Clark think the answer is yes — and they’re putting the proof in people’s hands.
Model outputs: What will we see?
With Canada1Water approaching the finish line, focus is shifting from inputs to outputs. Aquanty’s Steve Frey explains what the model will generate and how its projections might be used.
The science of seeing into the future: Canada’s groundwater
A new article in Natural Resources Canada’s “Simply Science” series introduces the Canada1Water project. This is a great little article that highlights the importance of the work being completed through the C1W project, and the fact that this type of comprehensive hydrologic modelling has never been done before at the national/continental scale.
Canada1Water: 2023 Progress Report
The Canada1Water continues to make steady progress toward our goal of providing Canadians with a comprehensive data/modelling framework and decision support system to evaluate the sustainability of water resources under a changing climate. The 2023 Progress Meeting and Summary Report provides a comprehensive overview of project progress up to June 2023.
New York Times - America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow
The NY Times performed comprehensive analysis of decades worth groundwater level data across America, and the findings indicate that there is a national groundwater crisis (that has been growing in severity for quite some time).
The Water Institute - Baseflow trends across Canada: The impact of climate change
This recent article in The Water Institute’s newsletter - WaterResearch - highlights a statistical analysis of baseflow trends to streams and rivers across Canada. The results of this work can inform water resources management by identifying the direction of change in groundwater availability across Canada and regions where interventions may be necessary.
CBC News - Dwindling water supply leaves some southern Alberta farmers dry
Extended drought in southern Alberta is resulting in unprecedented impacts to local farmers and communities. This is an exceptional article which highlights the interconnectedness of water resources - demonstrating the domino effect that can occur when over-extraction of water from one river or reservoir results in the need to draw from other sources, which can then run dry themselves .
Canada1Water stream-network analysis for national scale hydrological modelling
Learn more about the Canada1Water contribution to the National Hydrologic Network’s national stream database.
Canada1Water data framework: Harmonized national-scale hydrographic, soils, and hydrogeologic information to support groundwater and surface water analysis
Several members of the Canada1Water team attended the CWRA Annual Conference in Halifax last month. It was a really great opportunity to get out into the Canadian water resources community and introduce some of the work we’ve been doing. Eric Kessel delivered a poster presentation (see below) to highlight just a handful of the many datasets that are being produced as part of the project.
CBC News - River levels and rain forecasts at 'unprecedented' lows in most of B.C.
Drought conditions continue to intensify across British Columbia, with 8 of 34 water basins currently classified as Level 5 on the drought index (advese impacts almost certain), and another 13 water basins classified as Level 4 (adverse impacts likely). This new article on CBC News provides key insights on the impacts of these drought conditions, with commentary from the provincial River Forecast Centre and Ministry of Agriculture. The frequency and severity of drought conditions in this region seem to be increasing; what does the future have in store for BC’s water cycle? This is what the Canada1Water project aims to answer!