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Frequency of ice-jam flooding of Peace-Athabasca Delta
- Source :
- Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering. January, 2018, Vol. 45 Issue 1, p71, 5 p.
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Major ice jams that occasionally form in lower Peace River generate extensive flooding, which helps replenish the perched basins of Peace-Athabasca Delta, a Ramsar wetland of international importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This complex and dynamic ecosystem has experienced prolonged dry periods since the late 1960s, coincident with the construction of the W.A.C. Bennett hydroelectric dam in British Columbia. Physically-based and paleolimnological studies differ with respect to the impact of regulation on flood frequency. This issue is examined herein, based entirely on the historical record of observed ice-jam flood events. Key words: climate, flood, frequency change, ice jam, historical record, Peace River, regulation. Les embacles majeurs qui a l'occasion se forment en aval de la riviere de la Paix produisent d'importantes inondations qui aident a renflouer les bassins perches du delta des rivieres de la Paix et Athabasca, une zone humide d'importance internationale selon la Convention de Ramsar et un site du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO. Cet ecosysteme complexe et dynamique a connu des periodes seches prolongees depuis la fin des annees 1960, ce qui coincide avec la construction du barrage hydroelectrique W.A.C. Bennett en Colombie-Britannique. Des etudes basees sur des caracteristiques physiques et de paleolimnologie different en ce qui concerne l'impact de la regularisation sur la frequence des inondations. Cette question est examinee ici, se fondant entierement sur les documents historiques portant sur les observations d'evenements d'inondation causee par des embacles. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: climat, inondation, changement de frequence, embacle glaciaire, document historique, riviere de la Paix, regularisation.<br />Introduction The Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) in northern Alberta (Fig. 1) is one of the world's largest inland freshwater deltas, home to large populations of waterfowl, muskrat, beaver, and free-ranging wood [...]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 03151468
- Volume :
- 45
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Gale General OneFile
- Journal :
- Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsgcl.523767311
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2017-0434