Climatic Change and its Effects on Water Resources for Canada: A Review

Abstract

This paper discusses the problem of climatic change and its potential effects on water resources in Canada. The assessment is based on a review of the research literature incorporating two major themes. The first theme describes the physical mechanisms that are involved in the process of climatic change. The second theme deals with the climate-water supply relationship and how a change in climate might affect this relation. This latter section includes an assessment of the methods used to describe future climates (e.g., climatic analogues, general circulation models, and the water basin approach), how these methods assist in evaluating future water supplies, and what are some of the scientific difficulties that are associated with each of the various methods.Presently, the general consensus is that the increasing atmospheric CO2 will result in a global warming of 2–4 °C by the year 2050. This warming would affect Canada’s water supply both directly and indirectly. The increased temperature would extend th...