Canada's Water Resources

Water is an essential resource that is easily affected by changes in climate. Water resources are fundamental for domestic use, aquatic habitats, and to the agriculture, energy, and forestry sectors. A changing climate will have profound effects on Canada’s freshwater resources including changes in flow, evaporation rates, and the timing and amount of meltwater discharge. Coupled with increasing water demands from a growing population, climate change will continue to strain Canada’s water resources in certain areas. Research activities assess Canada’s freshwater resources in past, current, and future climate scenarios, which provides knowledge to aid adaptation planning.

Current Activities

• Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Water Availability for Tar Sands Development in the Athabasca River Basin
• Assessing Historical Hydro-climatic Changes in Boreal Quebec
• Assessing the Frequency, Severity, and Causes of Extreme Droughts and Low Flows in the Winnipeg River Basin
• Integrated Assessment of Prairie Agriculture Resilience and Adaptation Options
• Assessing Prairie Land Potential for Energy Crop Production as an Adaptation Option in a Changing Climate
• Geomatics information for watersheds near Clyde River, Nunavut, using EO data and ground surveys
• Geomatics information for the watershed serving Iqaluit, Nunavut, using EO data and ground surveys
• State and Evolution of Canada’s Glaciers
• National Assessments and Information for Managing Water Dependant Sectors in a Changing Climate
• Extreme Changes in Great Lakes Paleo-levels in the Early Holocene

Additional Information

• Workshop: Adapting to Water Supply Issues in a Changing Climate
• Canada's Water Budget
• Dendroclimatology
• Water Demand and Supply in Calgary – Planning for Climate Change
• Watershed Mapping and Monitoring for Northern Community Impact Assessment
• Water Supply for Canada's Oil Sands
• Water Levels in the Great Lakes: A Cross-border Problem

The North / Communities/ Coasts/ Water Resources / Satellite Climate Data / Past Climate Changes