The stable isotope-mass balance method can provide useful water balance information in ungauged catchments. The method has been used to evaluate evaporation and water balance at two contrasting sites in northern Canada. Areally weighted evaporative discharge from an 850 km2 tundra catchment in south-central District of Keewatin is estimated to be about 7 % of total water discharge (≈ 16 mm/yr), compared to about 19 % (≈ 65 mm/yr) from a 300 km2 forested watershed in the Upper Mackenzie Valley. Lakes in both watersheds exhibit broad ranges of evaporation/inflow ratios related to local water balance. The potential errors in the estimates are evaluated through consideration of possible variations in basin storage, humidity, and the isotopic composition of atmospheric vapour.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
April 01 1993
Estimating Evaporation Using Stable Isotopes: Quantitative Results and Sensitivity Analysis for Two Catchments in Northern Canada: Paper presented at the 9th Northern Res. Basin Symposium/Workshop (Whitehorse/Dawson/Inuvik, Canada - August 1992)
J.J. Gibson;
J.J. Gibson
University of Waterloo, Ont., N2L 3G1 Canada
Search for other works by this author on:
T.W.D. Edwards;
T.W.D. Edwards
University of Waterloo, Ont., N2L 3G1 Canada
Search for other works by this author on:
G.G. Bursey;
G.G. Bursey
University of Waterloo, Ont., N2L 3G1 Canada
Search for other works by this author on:
T.D. Prowse
T.D. Prowse
Environment Canada, Saskatoon, Sask. S7N 3H5, Canada
Search for other works by this author on:
Hydrology Research (1993) 24 (2-3): 79–94.
Article history
Received:
September 30 1992
Revision Received:
March 08 1993
Accepted:
March 10 1993
Citation
J.J. Gibson, T.W.D. Edwards, G.G. Bursey, T.D. Prowse; Estimating Evaporation Using Stable Isotopes: Quantitative Results and Sensitivity Analysis for Two Catchments in Northern Canada: Paper presented at the 9th Northern Res. Basin Symposium/Workshop (Whitehorse/Dawson/Inuvik, Canada - August 1992). Hydrology Research 1 April 1993; 24 (2-3): 79–94. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.1993.0015
Download citation file: