Development of High-resolution Climate Change Freshwater Hazard Data for BC

BCSRIF Project Summary

Species Group: Pacific Salmon
Location: Coastal British Columbia and Fraser basin
Partners: Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Organization: Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium
Session(s): Salmon In A Changing Climate
Presentation Date(s): December 02, 2025
Speakers: Markus Schnorbus
Abstract:
The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (University of Victoria) is expanding upon recent work (BCSRIF_2019_074_2) by providing results on the impact of climate change on the freshwater environment at a resolution sufficient to represent individual stream reaches and lakes. This project will deliver highly detailed streamflow and water quality data, which will allow quantification of the magnitude of expected changes in freshwater hazards in support of site-specific (e.g., spawning grounds, and stream or lake rearing habitat) climate change vulnerability, habitat, and stock assessments. Changes in the freshwater environment could include increasingly extreme flow levels (low and high), high water temperatures, and hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen), which all pose as potential hazards to salmon survival across various life stages. The study is being conducted for most of the drainage areas within BC that host wild salmon stocks. This project will involve two main activities: Hydrologic Modelling and Data Portal deployment.