A3 develops new water quality modelling functionality and integration, focusing on large-scale modelling needs. We extend the MESH model to include new capability to simulate water quality, including sediment and nutrient loads (MESH-SED). We will adopt the widely-used WASP water quality model, based on feedback from stakeholders, to simulate the transformations and fate of nutrients and contaminants in the river channel of the upper and lower South Saskatchewan River, to the main stem of the Saskatchewan River. In collaboration with B1, we will couple MESH-WASP with water resources model MODSIM in the Saskatchewan River Basin, incorporating a model of Lake Diefenbaker (completed) and the Saskatchewan River Delta (in progress) as two focus receptacles of sediments, nutrients and contaminants.

Area of focus:

  • Saskatchewan River Basin

Models in use:

  • MESH
  • MESH-RBM
  • MESH-SED
  • MODSIM
  • WASP

Year 1: Complete WASP model of the south Sask. River/main stem Sask. River; transfer MESH-WASP from Athabasca River to Saskatchewan River.

Year 2: Couple flows and fluxes between MODSIM and WASP; calibrate/validate MODSIM-WASP modelling system; complete development of MESH-WASP modelling system.

Year 3: Run water-management and climate-change scenarios with MESH-WASP and MODSIM-WASP modelling systems.

Progress so far:

(i) Coupling and testing of MESH-WASP to explore future heavy-metal concentrations in Lower Athabasca River Basin;
(ii) Testing the performance of a MESH-SED coupling in the Athabasca River Basin and testing of a MESH-RBM (stream temperature model) coupling, and operational use in the Athabasca River Basin.

Lead:

Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt

 

Karl Erich-Lindenschmidt

Associate Professor
University of Saskatchewan | School of Environment and Sustainability

Co-Leads:

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Al Pietroniro

Executive Director
National Hydrological Services | Meteorological Service of Canada
Environment & Climate Change Canada
John Pomeroy

 

John Pomeroy

Professor
University of Saskatchewan | College of Arts & Sciences | Department of Geography & Planning
Saman Razavi

 

Saman Razavi

Assistant Professor
University of Saskatchewan | School of Environment & Sustainability

 

Highly Qualified Personnel:

Meghan Carr

Professional Research Associate
2018-2019

 

Research: Water quality modelling
Supervisor: Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt (U of S)

Diogo Costa

Research Scientist
University of Saskatchewan
2019-

 

Research: Prairie water quality modelling
Supervisor: John Pomeroy  (U of S)

Amir Sadeghian

Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Saskatchewan
2018-2019

 

Research: Water quality modelling
Supervisor: Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt (U of S)

Peter Lawford

PhD
University of Saskatchewan
2019-

 

Research: Water quality modelling
Supervisor: John Pomeroy (U of S)

Luis Morales

Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Saskatchewan
2018-2019

 

Research: Hydrological modelling
Supervisor: Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt (U of S)

Lin Li

Masters
University of Saskatchewan
2019-

 

Research: Water quality modelling and hydrological modelling
Supervisor: Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt (U of S)

Zachary Lang

Masters Student
University of Saskatchewan
2018-

 

Research: Water quality modelling and hydrological modelling
Supervisor: Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt (U of S)

 

 

Frequent communication with collaborators takes place via phone and email, including representatives from the Prairie Provinces Water Board and Saskatchewan Water Security Agency. Input from these organizations guided the decision to develop the more physically-based water quality modelling system MESH-SED, instead of SPARROW as originally planned. The research team is also co-hosting a Prairie Modelling workshop with the Water Security Agency in October, 2019. The full-day workshop involves hands-on modelling exercises and ends with an open discussion about collaborator needs.

 

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Saskatchewan Water Security Agency
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Prairie Provinces Water Board
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International Joint Commission (IJC)
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Manitoba Sustainable Development

 

Selected Publications

Author names in bold are end-users

  • Carr, M., Li, L., Sadeghian, A., Phillips, I. and Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (online) Modelling the possible impacts of climate change on the thermal regime and macroinvertebrate community of a regulated prairie river. Ecohydrology. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2102 (IF = 2.755)

  • Akomeah, E., Lindenschmidt, K.-E. and Chapra, S. (2019) Comparison of aquatic ecosystem functioning between eutrophic and hypereutrophic cold-region river-lake systems. Ecological Modelling 393: 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.12.004 (IF = 2.507)

  • Hassanzadeh, E., Strickert, G., Morales-Marin, L., Noble, B., Baulch, H., Shupena-Soulodre, E., Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2019) A framework for engaging stakeholders in water quality modeling and management: Application to the Qu'Appelle River Basin, Canada. Journal of Environmental Management 231: 1117–1126. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.016 (IF = 4.005)

  • Morales-Marin, L.A., Rokaya, P., Sanyal, P.R., Sereda, J. and Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2019) Changes in streamflow and water temperature affect fish habitat in the Athabasca River catchment in the context of climate change. Ecological Modelling 407: 108718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108718 (IF = 2.507)

  • Hosseini, N., Akomeah, E., Davies, J.-M., Baulch, H. and Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2018) Water quality modelling of a prairie river-lake system. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 25: 31190–31204. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3055-2 (IF = 2.8)

  • Sadeghian, A., Carr, M., Lindenschmidt, K.E. (2018), Raw data and video outputs from a CE-QUAL-W2 hydrodynamic and nutrient model for different Lake Diefenbaker Reservoir withdrawal depth scenarios [Dataset]. Federated Research Data Repository.  https://dx.doi.org/10.20383/101.0134

  • Morales-Marín, L., Wheater, H. and Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2018), Estimating sediment loadings in the South Saskatchewan River catchment, Water Resources Management 32(2): 769-783. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1838-8

  • Morales-Marín, L.A., Sanyal, P.R., Kadowaki, H., Li, Z., Rokaya, P. and Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2019) A hydrological and water temperature modelling framework to simulate the timing of river freeze-up and ice-cover breakup in large-scale catchments. Environmental Modeling and Software 114: 49–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2019.01.009

  • Morales-Marín, L., Wheater, H. and Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2018) Potential changes of annual averaged nutrient export in the South Saskatchewan River basin under climate and land-use change scenarios. Water 10: 1438. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w10101438

  • Sadeghian, A., Chapra, S., Hudson, J., Wheater, H., Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2018), Improving in-lake water quality modeling using variable chlorophyll a/algal biomass ratios, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.12.009

Selected Conferences

  • Morales-Marin L.A., Rokaya P, Wheater H.S., and Lindenschmidt K.-E. (2017), A stream temperature model for the Peace-Athabasca River basin, 2017 AGU Fall Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 11-15, 2017

  • Budhathoki, S., Morales-Marin, L. and Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2018) Sediment Yield and Transport Model for Cold Region Catchments. American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2018 Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., 10 - 14 December 2018.

  • Morales-Marin L., Sanyal P., Kadowoki H., Li Z., Rokaya P., Lindenschmidt K. (2018). A hydrological and water temperature modelling framework to simulate the timing of river freeze-up and ice-cover breakup in large-scale catchments (C52B-05). American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2018 Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., 10 - 14 December 2018.