Recent Advances Toward Physically-based Runoff Modeling of the Wetland-dominated Central Mackenzie River Basin

Abstract

Field studies were initiated in 1999 at Scotty Creek in central Mackenzie River Basin to improve understanding and model-representation of the major water flux and storage processes within a wetland-dominated zone of the discontinuous permafrost region. Four main topics were covered: (1) the major peatland types and their influence on basin runoff, (2) the physical processes governing runoff generation, (3) how runoff processes observed at the hillslope scale relate to basin-scale runoff, and (4) the water balance of Scotty Creek and its adjacent basins. A conceptual model of runoff generation was developed that recognizes distinct hydrologic roles among the major peatland types of flat bog, channel fen and peat plateau. This model contributes to resolving some of the difficult issues in the hydrologic modeling in this region, especially in relation to the storage and routing functions of wetlands-dominated basins underlain by discontinuous permafrost.