Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:46:47.241Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impacts of climate and river flooding on the hydro-ecology of a floodplain basin, Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada since A.D. 1700

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Brent B. Wolfe ,
Tammy L. Karst-Riddoch ,
Sheila R. Vardy ,
Matthew D. Falcone ,
Roland I. Hall  and
Thomas W.D. Edwards
Brent B. Wolfe*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo ON, Canada N2L 3C5 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
Tammy L. Karst-Riddoch
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
Sheila R. Vardy
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
Matthew D. Falcone
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
Roland I. Hall
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
Thomas W.D. Edwards
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
*
*Corresponding author. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo ON, Canada N2L 3C5. Fax: +1 519 725 1342. E-mail address:[email protected] (B.B. Wolfe).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Multi-proxy paleolimnological analyses on lake sediment cores from "Spruce Island Lake" (58° 50.82′ N, 111° 28.84′ W), a perched basin in the northern Peace sector of the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), Canada, give insights into the relative roles of flow regulation of the Peace River and climatic variability on the basin hydro-ecology. Results indicate substantial variability in basin hydro-ecology over the past 300 years ranging from seasonal to periodic desiccation in the 1700s to markedly wetter conditions during the early 1800s to early 1900s. The reconstruction is consistent with (1) dry climatic conditions that defined the peak of the Little Ice Age and subsequent amelioration evident in conventional ring-width and isotopic analyses of tree-ring records located hydrologically and climatically upstream of the PAD, and (2) Peace River flood history inferred from sub-annual magnetic susceptibility measurements from another lake sediment record in the Peace sector of the PAD. Although regulation of the Peace River for hydroelectric power generation since 1968 has long been considered a major stressor of the PAD ecosystem leading to reduced frequency of ice-jam and open-water flooding and an extended period of drying, our results show that current hydro-ecological status is not unprecedented as both wetter and drier conditions have persisted for decades in the recent past under natural climatic variability. Furthermore, paleolimnological evidence from Spruce Island Lake indicates that recently observed dryness is part of a longer trend which began some 20�"40 years prior to Peace River regulation.

Keywords

PaleohydrologyPaleoecologyMulti-proxy studyClimate changeWater balanceLake sedimentsStable isotopesDiatomsPlant macrofossilsPeace-Athabasca Delta
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 64 , Issue 2 , September 2005 , pp. 147 - 162
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Artjuschenko, Z. (1990). Organographia Illustrata Plantarium Vascularium. Institutum Botanicum Nomina V. Kamrovii.(In Russian with Latin)Google Scholar
Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) (), 1993). Canadian Climate Normals 1961–1990. Minister of Supply and Services Canada, Google Scholar
Barker, P. Fontes, J.C. Gasse, F. Druart, J.C. (1994). Experimental dissolution of diatom silica in concentrated salt solutions and implications for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Limnology and Oceanography 39, 1–79. Google Scholar
Berggren, G. (1969). Atlas of seeds and small fruits of Northwest-European plant species: Part 2. Cyperaceae. Swedish Natural Science Research Council, Stockholm. Google Scholar
Berggren, G. (1981). Atlas of seeds and small fruits of Northwest-European plant species: Part 3. Salicaceae–Cruciferae. Swedish Natural Science Research Council, Stockholm. Google Scholar
Bertsch, K. (1941). Handbücher der praktischen Vorgeschichtsforschung, Band 1: Früchte und Samen. Verlag, Stuttgart. Google Scholar
Coleman, M.L. Shepherd, T.J. Durham, J.J. Rouse, J.E. Moore, G.R. (1982). Reduction of water with zinc for hydrogen isotope analysis. Analytical Chemistry 54, 993–995. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coplen, T.B. (1996). New guidelines for reporting stable hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen isotope-ratio data. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 60, 3359–3360. Google Scholar
Cumming, B.F. Wilson, S.E. Hall, R.I. Smol, J.P. (1995). Diatoms from British Columbia (Canada) and their relationship to lake-water salinity, nutrients, and other limnological variables. Cramer, J. Bibliotheca Diatomologica, Band XX Gebruder Borntraeger, Berlin. 193 Google Scholar
Craig, H. (1961). Isotopic variations in meteoric waters. Science 133, 1702–1703. Google Scholar
Craig, H. Gordon, L.I. (1965). Deuterium and oxygen-18 variations in the ocean and marine atmosphere. Tongiorgi, E. Stable Isotopes in Oceanographic Studies and Paleotemperatures Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Laboratorio di Geologica Nucleare, Pisa. 9–130.SpoletoGoogle Scholar
Dean, W.E. (1974). Determination of carbonate and organic matter in calcareous sediments and sedimentary rocks by loss on ignition: comparison with other methods. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 44, 242–248. Google Scholar
Ecoregions Working Group (1989). Ecoclimatic regions of Canada, first approximation. Ecological Land Classification Series vol. 23, Environment Canada, Ottawa. Google Scholar
Edwards, T.W.D. Wolfe, B.B. MacDonald, G.M. (1996). Influence of changing atmospheric circulation on precipitation δ 18O-temperature relations in Canada during the Holocene. Quaternary Research 46, 211–218. Google Scholar
Edwards, T.W.D. Stichler, W. Spurk, M. (1999). Characterization of Climate Change using Stable Isotope Response Surfaces: The YD-PB Transition in the German Pine Dendrochronology. American Geophysical Union, San Francisco December. Google Scholar
Edwards, T.W.D. Graf, W. Trimborn, P. Stichler, W. Lipp, J. Payer, H.D. (2000). δ 13C response surface resolves humidity and temperature signals in trees. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 64, 161–167. Google Scholar
Edwards, T.W.D. Wolfe, B.B. Gibson, J.J. Hammarlund, D. (2004). Use of water isotope tracers in high-latitude hydrology and paleohydrology. Pienitz, R. Douglas, M. Smol, J.P. Long-term Environmental Change in Arctic and Antarctic Lakes, Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research vol. 7, Springer, Dordrecht. 188–207. Google Scholar
Epstein, S. Mayeda, T.K. (1953). Variations in the 18O/16O ratio in natural waters. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 4, 213 Google Scholar
Esper, J. Cook, E.R. Schweingruber, F.H. (2002). Low-frequency signals in long tree-ring chronologies for reconstructing past temperature variability. Science 295, 2250–2253. Google Scholar
Flynn, W.W. (1968). The determination of low levels of 210Po in environmental materials. Analytica Chimica Acta 43, 221–227. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foged, N. (1981). Diatoms in Alaska. Bibliotheca Phycologica, No 53.J. Cramer Verlag, Vaduz.Google Scholar
Gibson, J.J. (2001). Forest-tundra water balance signals traced by isotopic enrichment in lakes. Journal of Hydrology 251, 1–13. Google Scholar
Gibson, J.J. Edwards, T.W.D. (2002). Regional surface water balance and evaporation–Transpiration partitioning from a stable isotope survey of lakes in northern Canada. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 16, 2 10.1029/2001GB001839Google Scholar
Glew, J.R. (1988). A portable extruding device for close internal sectioning of unconsolidated core samples. Journal of Paleolimnology 1, 235–239. Google Scholar
Glew, J.R. (1989). A new trigger mechanism for sediment samplers. Journal of Paleolimnology 2, 241–244. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gummer, W.D. Cash, K.J. Wrona, F.J. Prowse, T.D. (2000). The Northern River Basins Study: context and design. Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress and Recovery 8, 7–16. Google Scholar
Hall, R.I. Smol, J.P. (1996). Paleolimnological assessment of long-term water-quality changes in south-central Ontario lakes affected by cottage development and acidification. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 53, 1–17. Google Scholar
Hall, R.I. Leavitt, P.R. Dixit, A.S. Quinlan, R. Smol, J.P. (1999). Effects of agriculture, urbanization and climate on water quality in the northern Great Plains. Limnology and Oceanography 44, 739–756. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, R.I. B.B., Wolfe T.W.D., Edwards T.L., Karst-Riddoch S.R., Vardy S., McGowan C., Sjunneskog A., Paterson W., Last M., English F., Sylvestre P.R., Leavitt B.G., Warner B., Boots R., Palmini K., Clogg-Wright M., Sokal M., Falcone P., van Driel T., Asada (2004). A Multi-Century Flood, Climatic, and Ecological History of the Peace-Athabasca Delta, Northern Alberta, Canada. Final Report to BC Hydro, 163 pp + Appendices.Google Scholar
Heiri, O. Lotter, A.F. Lemcke, G. (2001). Loss on ignition as a method for estimating organic and carbonate content in sediments: reproducibility and comparability. Journal of Paleolimnology 25, 101–110. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jiang, H. Elgood, R.J. Edwards, T.W.D. Luckman, B.H. (2000). Coupled response-surface interpretation of a 1300-isotope (δ 18O, δ 13C) and ring-width dendrochronology from Vancouver Island. Canadian Geophysical Union, Banff.(May)Google Scholar
Krammer, K. Lange-Bertalot, H. (1986–1991). Bacillariophyceae. Ettl, H. Gerloff, J. Heynig, H. Mollenhauer, D. Süßwasserflora von Mitteleuropa, Band 2(1–4) Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart/Jena. Google Scholar
Luckman, B.H. Watson, E. (1999). Precipitation reconstruction in the southern Canadian Cordillera. Proceedings, American Meteorological Society Meeting, Dallas 296–299.(January)Google Scholar
Martin, A.C. Barkley, W.D. (1961). Seed identification manual. University of California Press, Berkley. Google Scholar
Meyers, P.A. Lallier-Vergès, E. (1999). Lacustrine sedimentary organic matter records of late Quaternary paleoclimates. Journal of Paleolimnology 21, 345–372. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montgomery, F. (1977). Seeds and fruits of plants of Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. University of Toronto Press, Toronto. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oldfield, F. Appleby, P.G. (1984). Empirical testing of 210Pb-dating models for lake sediments. Appleby, P.G. Howath, E.V. Lund, J.W.G. Lake Sediments and Environmental History University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 93–124. Google Scholar
Peace-Athabasca Delta Implementation Committee (PADIC). (1987). Peace-Athabasca Delta Water Management Works Evaluation. Final Report, including Appendix A; Hydrological Assessment: Appendix B, Biological Assessment; Appendix C, Ancillary Studies, AB and SK, Canada.Google Scholar
Peace-Athabasca Delta Project Group (PADPG). (1973). Peace-Athabasca Delta Project, Technical Report and Appendices: Volume 1, Hydrological Investigations; Volume 2, Ecological Investigations.Google Scholar
Peace-Athabasca Delta Technical Studies (PADTS) (1996). Final Report. PADTS Steering Committee, Fort Chipewyan, Alberta.Google Scholar
Pietroniro, A. Prowse, T. Peters, D.L. (1999). Hydrologic assessment of an inland freshwater delta using multi-temporal satellite remote sensing. Hydrological Processes 13, 2483–2498. Google Scholar
Prowse, T.D. Conly, F.M. (1998). Impacts of climatic variability and flow regulation on ice-jam flooding of a northern delta. Hydrological Processes 12, 1589–1610. Google Scholar
Prowse, T.D. Conly, F.M. (2000). Multiple-hydrologic stressors of a northern delta ecosystem. Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress and Recovery 8, 17–26. Google Scholar
Prowse, T.D. Lalonde, V. (1996). Open-water and ice-jam flooding of a northern delta. Nordic Hydrology 27, 85–100. Google Scholar
Tyson, R.V. (1995). Sedimentary organic matter. Chapman & Hall, London.(615 pp.)Google Scholar
Watson, E. Luckman, B.H. (2001). Dendroclimatic reconstruction of precipitation for sites in the southern Canadian Rockies. The Holocene 11, 203–213. Google Scholar
Wei, K. Gasse, F. (1999). Oxygen isotopes in lacustrine carbonates of West China revisited: implications for post glacial changes in summer monsoon circulation. Quaternary Science Reviews 18, 1315–1334. Google Scholar
Wolfe, B.B. Aravena, R. Abbott, M.B. Seltzer, G.O. Gibson, J.J. (2001a). Reconstruction of paleohydrology and paleohumidity from oxygen isotope records in the Bolivian Andes. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 176, 177–192. Google Scholar
Wolfe, B.B. Edwards, T.W.D. Elgood, R.J. Beuning, K.R.M. (2001b). Carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of lake sediment cellulose: methods and applications. Last, W.M. Smol, J.P. Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments. Volume 2: Physical and Chemical Techniques, Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht. 373–400. Google Scholar
Wolfe, B.B. Edwards, T.W.D. Hall, R.I. (2002). Past and present ecohydrology of the Peace-Athabasca Delta, northern Alberta, Canada: water isotopes lead the way. PAGES News 10, 16–17. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolfe, B.B. Edwards, T.W.D. Falcone, M.D. Clogg-Wright, K.P. (2004). Cellulose extraction from lake sediments for 18O/16O and 13C/12C analysis. Technical Procedure 28.1, Environmental Isotope Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Google Scholar
Wolfe, B.B. R.I., Hall W.M., Last T.W.D., Edwards M.C., English T.L., Karst-Riddoch R., Palmini (2005a). Reconstruction of multi-century flood histories from oxbow lake sediments, Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada.Hydrological Processes (in press).Google Scholar
Wolfe, B.B. T.L., Karst-Riddoch R.I., Hall T.W.D., Edwards M.C., English R., Palmini S., McGowan P.R., Leavitt S.R., Vardy (2005b). Classification of hydrologic regimes of northern floodplain basins (Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada) from analysis of stable isotopes (δ 18O, δ 2H) and water chemistry. Hydrological Processes (in press).Google Scholar