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WANING WETLANDS: EVALUATING THE LOSS OF CLOSED-BASIN PONDS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA’S SEMI-ARID RANGELANDS
Author
Coelho, Aaron J.
Gardner, Wendy
Pypker, Tom
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2014
Body

In the last 10-15 years there has been an observed loss of closed-basin ponds in British Columbia's (BC) semi-arid rangelands. The loss of ponds has become a concern for cattle ranchers and may impact endangered wildlife and vegetation. The objectives of this study are to 1) evaluate if ponds located in a semi-arid regions of BC are diminishing and 2) determine if there is a correlation between the results obtained in objective one and climate change. For objective one, satellite imagery from eight sites across BC are being analysed using GIS software. The water surface area of ponds in each site are being mapped from three time periods between 1995 and 2012 to evaluate the change in water body number and size over time.  Objective two is based on a meteorological case study of the Lac du Bois grasslands. For closed-basin ponds in semi-arid areas, precipitation, in the form of rain or snow, and evaporation are major components of the hydrological cycle. Precipitation is likely the main form of input and evaporation the main form of output from these ponds.  The amount of precipitation in a given year can have a considerable effect on the recharge of ponds. Likewise, the amount of evaporation from a water body is sensitive to changes in weather. Weather data from the Lac du Bois area is being assessed for total yearly precipitation and potential evaporation is being calculated. The data from this study will create awareness of potential problems and assist in future water management decisions.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Orlando, FL
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts