Landscape Characteristics

This fact sheet describes the geological, soil, and land cover characteristics of the lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB), noting its dominance by forested land and Precambrian bedrock.

• The lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB) is characterized by a landscape dominated by forested land, which covers 76% of the area. Other land cover types include water (12%), temperate or sub-polar grasslands (4%), cropland (3%), and wetlands (3%), with minimal shrubland (1%) and urban land (0%).
• The geology of the wider Winnipeg River basin is primarily the Precambrian Shield with underlying pink granodiorite. This rock bed results in high water runoff toward Lake Winnipeg, though the runoff contains low levels of nutrients and suspended sediments. The LWRB specifically contains Precambrian bedrock along with sand diamicton and organic deposits.
• Dominant soil types in the LWRB include Precambrian bedrock, deep/shallow organic peat, and clayey lacustrine. These soils typically exhibit imperfect or very poor drainage, with a dominant slope class between 0 and 2%.
• The mineral-rich nature of the watershed has supported mining activities, including one currently operational mine that extracts caesium and tantalum.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2021). Landscape Characteristics. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-2-landscape.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Landscape Characteristics. 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-2-landscape.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Landscape Characteristics |date=May 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-2-landscape.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2021landscape, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Landscape Characteristics}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-2-landscape.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }