Relative snowpack response to elevation, temperature and precipitation in the Crown of the Continent region of North America 1980-2013

Water availability in western Canada and the United States is dependent on the accumulation of snowpack in the montane regions and threatened by increased winter temperature and more precipitation as rain linked to climate change. In order to make reasoned decisions to adapt to climate change managers require knowledge of the role of temperature and precipitation in SWE development and data to distinguish the relative retention response of snowpack regions to expected temperature and precipitation regime shifts at the watershed scale. Using the Daymet interpolated 1 km2 dataset, effects of elevation, temperature (Tmax, Tmin and Tavg) and precipitation on April 1 SWE in the Crown of the Continent were tested by linear regression and Kendall correlation. Changes in Daymet estimated snow water equivalent (SWE) in response to increased temperatures and changes in precipitation were estimated in two ways: 1) comparing April 1SWE in the 11 warmest (mean Tmax February) and driest (mean precipitation January to March) years with the 22 cooler/wetter years 1981–2013 and 2) SWE retention from April 1 to June 1 over the period 1980 to 2013 across 120 watersheds in a major continental headwater region, the Crown of the Continent of North America. Historical analysis of period warm year April 1 SWE was assumed to indicate the recent impact of warmer winter temperatures. Changes in snowpack April 1 to June 1 reflected likely effects on peak runoff and were, therefore, also relevant for future climate change adaptation considerations. Winter (JFM) precipitation proved more influential than temperature in shaping April 1 SWE response at the regional scale. Of the three factors, elevation was most positively associated with April 1 SWE at the watershed scale. Temperature and precipitation influenced SWE accumulation and persistence at the watershed scale, but higher precipitation was more closely associated with higher April 1 SWE retention. Ranking of watershed snowpack retention in warm and dry years, combined with spring snowpack retention offers data to assist identification of watersheds with greatest snowpack persistence in the face of anticipated climate change effects.

Towards an Environmental Governance Agenda in Regional Environmental Assessment: A Case Study of the Crown Managers Partnership

In the last decade, the emphasis of regional environmental assessment (EA) has shifted away from simply project approval towards facilitating environmental governance by accommodating heterogeneous stakeholders and emphasising relationship building across diverse institutions. However, there are very few advanced regional EA cases that may be studied to understand how practice has evolved and the implications for regional environmental governance. This paper characterises and assesses the interactions among the members of the Crown of the Continent Managers Partnership (CMP), whereby individuals with planning, policy-making, and EA roles attempted to implement an adaptive approach to regional cumulative effects assessment. Twelve in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders provide data used in the investigation. The analysis demonstrates opportunities for an approach to regional EA that facilitates environmental governance through collective visioning, innovative leadership, learning from failure, and collaborative science and management. Lessons from the CMP are relevant internationally to jurisdictions seeking to implement regional EA via multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional partnerships.