River networks dampen long-term hydrological signals of climate change
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| Authors: | Chezik, KA; Anderson, SC; Moore, JW |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Journal: | Geophys. Res. Lett. 44: 7256-7264 Article Link (DOI) |
| Title: | River networks dampen long-term hydrological signals of climate change |
| Abstract: | River networks may dampen local hydrologic signals of climate change through the aggregation of upstream climate portfolio assets. Here we examine this hypothesis using flow and climate trend estimates (1970-2007) at 55 hydrometric gauge stations and across their contributing watersheds' within the Fraser River basin in British Columbia, Canada. Using a null hypothesis framework, we compared our observed attenuation of river flow trends as a function of increasing area and climate trend diversity, with null-simulated estimates to gauge the likelihood and strength of our observations. We found the Fraser River reduced variability in downstream long-term discharge by >91%, with >3.1 times the attenuation than would be expected under null simulation. Although the strength of dampening varied seasonally, our findings indicate that large free-flowing rivers offer a powerful and largely unappreciated process of climate change mitigation. River networks that integrate a diverse climate portfolio can dampen local extremes and offer climate change relief to riverine biota. |
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