Abstract
This paper examines water vapor flux features over the Mackenzie River Basin (MRB) and the Canadian Prairies, primarily the Saskatchewan River Basin (SRB). The long-term (1948–2001) climatology of the atmospheric moisture fluxes of the SRB is investigated and then compared with that of the MRB. In addition, moisture transport and associated hydrometeorological features during an extreme climate event, the 2000–01 severe drought over the Prairies, are discussed.
While the Pacific and Arctic Oceans are two main moisture sources for the MRB, these oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of California, and Hudson Bay are moisture sources for the SRB. Significant differences between the two regions are also found in the detailed vertical profiles of moisture transport. Topography and surface properties are key factors causing such differences. However, there are connections between them through seasonal moisture exchange across the shared boundary.
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Liu, J., Stewart, R.E., Szeto, K.K. (2008). Water Vapor Fluxes over the Canadian Prairies and the Mackenzie River Basin. In: Woo, Mk. (eds) Cold Region Atmospheric and Hydrologic Studies. The Mackenzie GEWEX Experience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73936-4_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73936-4_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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