Identifying flood- and food-related limits to fish and wildlife production in the Saskatchewan River delta

确定萨斯喀彻温河三角洲与洪水和粮食相关的鱼类和野生动物生产限制

• 批准号: 445292-2012
• 负责人: Jardine, Timothy
• 金额: $ 3.23万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=575038
• 关键词: Identifying; flood; food; related; limits

In large river basins, water management agencies are responsible for delivering flows to downstream ecosystems. In many cases, extensive dam-building has led to more stable flows, with decreased incidence and severity of high flow events. However, a growing body of research suggests floods may be ecologically important, leading to questions regarding whether flows should be managed to more closely mimic natural flood regimes. This research aims to extend beyond our current knowledge of benefits of dams in terms of water storage for industrial, municipal and agricultural purposes to assess how dams can be operated in a way to achieve positive environmental outcomes, specifically via controlled floods. This project will examine aquatic productivity and food webs following periodic, experimental inundation from a dam spillway, coupled with parallel observations in a natural, flood-prone river delta to determine the value of wetland connectivity in driving fish and wildlife production. The experimental wetland inundation, conducted at the E.B. Campbell Hydroelectric facility in Nipawin, SK, will serve as a model system to examine the biological response to overbank flows that occur further downstream in the Saskatchewan River delta, a region rich in biological productivity, diversity and human history. It will use natural chemical tracers - stable isotope ratios - to link animals to critical areas for feeding, growth and reproduction, and novel techniques to quantify the growth potential of animals, the quality of their food and the stress they experience. Together, these measurements will enhance our understanding of role of the flood pulse in sustaining fish and wildlife populations in northern rivers, and how the timing and magnitude of water delivery might achieve maximum ecological benefits under scenarios of increasing water scarcity and uncertainty.

在大型河流流域，水管理机构负责向下游生态系统输送水流。在许多情况下，广泛的大坝建设导致流量更加稳定，高流量事件的发生率和严重程度降低。然而，越来越多的研究表明洪水可能具有重要的生态意义，从而引发了关于是否应该对流量进行管理以更接近自然洪水状况的问题。这项研究旨在超越我们目前对水坝在工业、市政和农业蓄水方面的好处的了解，评估如何以实现积极环境成果的方式运营水坝，特别是通过控制洪水。该项目将检查大坝溢洪道定期实验性淹没后的水生生产力和食物网，再加上 在自然、易发洪水的河流三角洲进行平行观测，以确定湿地连通性在推动鱼类和野生动物生产方面的价值。 实验湿地淹没，在 E.B.位于萨斯喀彻温省尼帕温的坎贝尔水力发电站将作为一个模型系统，研究萨斯喀彻温河三角洲下游发生的河漫漫流的生物反应，该地区生物生产力、多样性和人类历史丰富。它将使用天然化学示踪剂（稳定同位素比率）将动物与喂养、生长和繁殖的关键区域联系起来，并使用新技术来量化动物的生长潜力、食物质量和它们所经历的压力。 总之，这些测量将增强我们对洪水脉冲在维持北部河流鱼类和野生动物种群方面的作用的理解，以及在水资源短缺和不确定性加剧的情况下，输水的时间和规模如何实现最大的生态效益。