SWAT modeling for permafrost watersheds

The Cape Bounty Watershed Observatory (CBAWO) is in the Canadian High Arctic, where the soil is frozen and river discharge is zero, except for the summer months (June – August). Given the higher climatic sensitivity of polar regions to climate change, understanding changes in watershed function in these locations is important for assessing land-to-sea fluxes of carbon and nutrients. SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) is regarded as a strong tool for hydrological modelling and water chemical fluxes; however, it has its limitations for Arctic environments, because of the dynamic evolution of the soil profile. The active layer (the seasonally thawed layer of soil in permafrost catchments), expands during the thaw season allowing water to infiltrate deeper and ground ice to thaw, which changes both the subsurface and surface hydrology. Therefore, hydrological modeling in permafrost watersheds requires coding a new algorithm in SWAT that incorporates a dynamic soil profile by introducing a dependent proxy variable for the active layer thickness.

Faculty Supervisor:

Melissa Lafreniere

Student:

Partner:

Baylor University

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Water; Environmental Science and Technology

University:

Queen's University

Program: