A model analysis of water resource availability in response to climate change and oil sands operations in the Athabasca River Basin ...

• Main Author: Leong, Doris Nian-Shiah
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2014
• Subjects: Athabasca River
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0135576; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0135576

The Athabasca River Basin faces challenging tradeoffs between energy production and water security as climate change alters the seasonal freshwater supply and water demand from the oil sands mining industry is projected to increase. Effective water management will depend on a physical understanding of the scale and timing of water supply and demand. This dissertation aims to synthesize the impacts of water withdrawals and climate change on streamflow in the Athabasca oil sands region, in order to develop a scientific basis for the management of water resources. The combination of a land surface process model and a hydrological routing model is used to evaluate the influence of water withdrawals and climate change on streamflow under a variety of different scenarios, and to evaluate the adaptation options. Climate warming is projected to be the primary driver of future streamflow availability, with little influence from direct water withdrawals. Seasonal patterns that show a decline in summer flows and an ...