River regulation and riparian woodlands along the lower Red Deer River, Alberta

This thesis investigates the historical trends and prospective future streamflow of the Red Deer River and the impacts of streamflow management on the reproduction and health of riparian cottonwood communities along the lower river. No common trends were detected in the historical streamflow data for the Red Deer River and its upper tributaries. Annual streamflow volumes and the onset of peak discharge have not changed from 1912 to 2012. Hydroclimatic modelling forecasted slight increases in annual streamflow volumes. Aerial photograph analysis, dendrochronology, and field transects of cottonwood communities along the lower river through Dinosaur Provincial park revealed no changes in tree growth and continued cottonwood recruitment despite the construction of the Dickson Dam in 1983. However, some improvements to the pattern of streamflow regulation, particularly flow ramping, are recommended to ensure the continued health of riparian cottonwood communities along the Red Deer River

Climate change and hydrology at the prairie margin : historic and prospective future flows of Canada's Red Deer and other Rocky Mountain river

This projected commenced with support from Alberta Agriculture and the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance, and subsequent funding was provided by Alberta Environment and Parks, Alberta Innovates, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada provided some climate data. This paper follows from an MSc thesis chapter by the first author, and we extend thanks to faculty advisors Cam Goater, Stefan Kienzle, and Larry Flanagan and to two anonymous reviewers for very helpful recommendations.Peer reviewedPostprin