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- Title
Comparison of Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River hydrologic droughts and their relationship to climate indices.
- Authors
Biron, Stacey; Assani, Ali A.; Frenette, Jean-Jacques; Massicotte, Philippe
- Abstract
Five characteristics (intensity or magnitude, duration, frequency, timing, and variability) of drought, defined using the threshold level method (TLM) and recorded in mean annual water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River from 1918 to 2010, were compared. Timing is the only characteristic that is different for the two water bodies. For Lake Ontario, the most intense drought occurred in the 1930s, whereas in the St. Lawrence River, intense droughts took place in the 1960s and 2000s. The Lake Ontario drought produced two shifts in mean before (decrease) and after (increase) the 1930s. The change in variance that took place in the 1960s is thought to be related to the construction of locks during the digging of the seaway. The droughts that affected the St. Lawrence River had no impact on the stationarity (mean and variance) of the annual mean water level series. Analysis of the correlation between drought severity and climate indices revealed that years characterized by very weak to moderate drought are significantly correlated with PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation), while those characterized by intense drought are correlated with NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation). Both climate indices are negatively correlated with Lake Ontario water levels, while they are positively correlated with St. Lawrence River levels. The study suggests that NAO may be used to predict the driest years for the two water bodies.
- Subjects
SAINT Lawrence River; ONTARIO; WATER levels; DROUGHTS; WEATHER; LAKES
- Publication
Water Resources Research, 2014, Vol 50, Issue 2, p1396
- ISSN
0043-1397
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/2012WR013441