DRAFTING…
Threats to fish and fish habitat in the watersheds of Nova Scotia
Webpage under Fisheries & oceans Canada. It provides a useful 0verview of fish and fish habitat in Nova Scotia, e.g. maps of
– Primary watersheds of Nova Scotia
– Distribution by watershed of both species listed under the Species at Risk Act and those assessed as “at risk” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
– Land cover disturbance by watershed across Nova Scotia
Referenced.
NCC Freshwater Conservation Blueprint
“This gallery showcases the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC) Freshwater Conservation Blueprint for the Northern Appalachian–Acadian Region of Canada.”
NCC Watershed Health Assessment
“This dataset contains the Watershed Health Assessment (WHA) for the Northern Appalachian–Acadian Region of Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Quebec).”
Beneficial Management for Riparian Zone in Atlantic Canada
No Date. From meta data: Created 2006-08-21, modified 2010-03-16. 52 pages Summarizes regulations etc
An Ecological Approach to Riparian-Buffer Definition, and Implications for Timber Harvests in Nova Scotia, Canada
Stoffyn-Egli, Patricia’ and Duinker, Peter. 2013. In Journal of Sustainable Development
Modeling Reforestation’s Role in Climate-Proofing Watersheds from Flooding and Soil Erosion
Robert L. France et al., 2019 in American Journal of Climate Change Abstract: The mitigation potential of reforestation for offsetting the deleterious effects of increased flooding and soil erosion projected to occur in Atlantic Canada through future climate change was investigated. Modelling determined a strong but non-linear relationship between extent of vegetative cover and runoff volume and discharge rate for a Nova Scotian watershed, suggesting that reforestation will reduce, but not completely prevent, flooding. Predicted erosion rates were found to be progressively reduced in relation to the extent of upland reforestation. Of three scenarios examined in which 60%, 65%, and 85% of the entire watershed are randomly reforested, only the latter would reduce the elevated erosion expected to occur through climate change back to present-day existing levels. Additional modelling revealed that comparable mitigation of soil erosion can ensue through implementation of 70 m streamside buffer strips, which would only take up 19% of the total surface area. Prioritizing riparian zones for reforestation will therefore subsume less of the overall productive land area and therefore enact a less severe socio-economic impact on agriculture and forestry.
Is extensive clearcutting in Nova Scotia causing excessive flooding 16Mar2022?
Post on nsforestnotes.ca on March 16, 2022
Forest Degradation Increases Community Vulnerability to Extreme Floods
Rachel Plotkin & Julee Boan on davidsuzuki.org May 14, 2024 “Forests, particularly older, more complex forest ecosystems, act as natural “managers” of rainwater and snowmelt, helping to slow the pace of water movement and reduce the risk of extreme flooding events. Their leaves and needles help to decrease the intensity of water hitting the ground. Older trees also usually have larger canopies, which disperse rainfall. Conifer trees, specifically, provide shade during the spring before the rest of the forest “greens up”, which helps to moderate the rate of snowmelt. Older trees and complex forest ecosystems also provide greater soil stability, as tree root networks and other plants provide expansive anchors and absorb water. Even when old trees in a forest eventually die, and no longer mitigate against flooding, they still serve a host of other values.”
A global synthesis on the effects of thinning on hydrological processes: Implications for forest management
Antonio D. del Campo et al., 2022. In Forest Ecology and Management. “…Thinning intensity of about 50% of the stand density is determined as the threshold at or over which hydrological processes are significantly affected. The duration of thinning effect can be set between 2.6 and 4.3 (throughfall) and 3.1–8.6 years (soil moisture and transpiration).”
www.forestresearch.gov.uk: Flooding
“Many parts of the UK are seriously impacted by flooding and the frequency of floods is expected to increase due to climate change…Care in species choice, soil management and drainage, woodland design, placement and management can mitigate these effects. They can also help to secure woodland benefits for reducing downstream flood risk.”
Forest fire, thinning, and flood in wildland-urban interface: UAV and lidar-based estimate of natural disaster impacts
Temuulen Ts. Sankey et al., 2024.In Landscape Ecology. “Wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas are facing increased forest fire risks and extreme precipitation events due to climate change, which can lead to post-fire flood events. The city of Flagstaff in northern Arizona, USA experienced WUI forest thinning, fire, and record rainfall events, which collectively contributed to large floods and damages to the urban neighborhoods and city infrastructure.”
Watershed Maps produced by ERTH5600
(Graduate Student class in the Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University)
– Part 1 of 4: Average Slope of Watersheds: In Map Viewer
This map is one of four for a watershed characterization study. This dataset showcases the average slope of the watersheds for the tertiary and sub-tertiary watersheds associated with Nova Scotia.
Description: This map was created for a watershed characterization study associated with ERTH5600 out of Dalhousie University. The choropleth map showcases 5 classifications of average watershed slope for each watershed. The watershed data was provided by the Government of Nova Scotia (Open Data Nova Scotia, 2021). The slope was determined from the Nova Scotia Digital Elevation map (Government of Nova Scotia, 2006).
– Part 2 of 4: Percentage Forest Cover for Watersheds: In Map Viewer
This map is one of four for a watershed characterization study. This dataset showcases the percentage forest cover of the watersheds for the tertiary and sub-tertiary watersheds associated with Nova Scotia.
Description: This map was created for a watershed characterization study associated with ERTH5600 out of Dalhousie University. The choropleth map showcases 5 classifications of percentage forest cover for each watershed tertiary and sub-tertiary watershed. The watershed data was provided by the Government of Nova Scotia (Open Data Nova Scotia, 2021). The forest cover data was also provided by the Government of Nova Scotia (2021). Item created: Apr 28, 2023
– Part 3 of 4: Drainage Density for Watersheds: In Map Viewer
This map is one of four for a watershed characterization study. This dataset showcases the drainage density for the tertiary and sub-tertiary watersheds associated with Nova Scotia.
Description: This map was created for a watershed characterization study associated with ERTH5600 out of Dalhousie University. The choropleth map showcases 5 classifications of drainage density for each tertiary and sub-tertiary watershed within Nova Scotia. The watershed data was provided by the Government of Nova Scotia (Open Data Nova Scotia, 2021). The water features data was also provided by the Government of Nova Scotia (Open Data Nova Scotia, 2022). The river data was extracted from the water feature layer to determine the drainage density for each watershed.
– Part 4 of 4: Percentage Lake Cover for Watersheds: In Map Viewer
This map is one of four for a watershed characterization study. This dataset showcases the percentage lake cover for the tertiary and sub-tertiary watersheds associated with Nova Scotia.
Description: This map was created for a watershed characterization study associated with ERTH5600 out of Dalhousie University. The choropleth map showcases 5 classifications of percentage lake cover for each tertiary and sub-tertiary watershed within Nova Scotia. The watershed data was provided by the Government of Nova Scotia (Open Data Nova Scotia, 2021). The water features data was also provided by the Government of Nova Scotia (Open Data Nova Scotia, 2022). The lake data was extracted from the water feature layer to determine the percentage lake cover for each watershed.
– Clustered Watersheds: In Map Viewer
This map presented watershed clusters based on watershed characterization parameters. The parameters utilized in clustering were drainage density, average watershed slope, percentage forest cover, and percentage lake cover.
Description: This map was created for a watershed characterization study associated with ERTH5600 out of Dalhousie University. The choropleth map showcases 5 classifications with respect to different clusters based on a k-means clustering algorithm. The four parameters utilized in clustering were drainage density, average watershed slope, percentage forest cover, and percentage lake cover.