Climate change impact on groundwater quality in Southern Alberta

Access to clean and safe water resources is crucial for the progress and economic development of Alberta, Canada. Ensuring sustainable groundwater use can be a viable solution to address the regional scarcity of sufficient amounts of high-quality freshwater, particularly in certain areas of Southern Alberta where there is a moratorium on new surface water licenses. Given the limited freshwater resources in Alberta, it is imperative to understand the impacts of climate change on shallow groundwater quality and quantity. This understanding is essential for the effective management of both groundwater and surface water resources. This summer research project aims to leverage climate information obtained from climate models to predict changes in groundwater quality in Southern Alberta, Canada. The project aims to assess a comprehensive range of uncertainties arising from scenario selection, model choice, and natural climate variability. One subobjective is to familiarize with post-processing steps, such as the multivariate quantile mapping bias correction method, which proves beneficial in analyzing climate model output. Additionally, the climate information will be utilized to comprehend the surface hydrology of the study area by linking it with post-processed climate model data, thus contributing to the understanding of changes in groundwater quality in southern Alberta.

Faculty Supervisor:

Bernhard Mayer

Student:

Partner:

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Calgary

Program: