Climate and Climate Change

The document describes the humid continental climate of the lower Winnipeg River basin and details historical increases in river discharge. It presents climate projections for the 2050s, indicating rising temperatures, precipitation, and runoff, which may impact hydroelectric development and aquatic ecosystems.

• The lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB) is characterized by a humid, warm-summer continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons. Based on data from 1981 to 2010 at the Pinawa WNRE station in Manitoba, the region has a mean daily temperature of 2.8°C and a mean annual precipitation of 578.3 mm.
• Contrary to the trend of decreasing water flows seen in most Canadian rivers during the 20th century, discharge in the Winnipeg River has increased since 1924. This increase is attributed to higher precipitation in summer and fall, increased winter discharge, and human activities such as water diversion from Lake St. Joseph.
• Climate model simulations for the 2050s period (2040 to 2069) relative to a 1981–2010 baseline project an ensemble median increase in mean annual temperature of 2.8°C, mean annual precipitation of 6.9%, and mean runoff of 3.3%.
• While there is strong agreement among simulations regarding temperature increases, there is higher uncertainty concerning changes in runoff. These future variations could affect water quality, river morphology, nutrient/contaminant loading, aquatic life, and hydroelectric development.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2021). Climate and Climate Change. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-1-climate-change.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Climate and Climate Change. 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-1-climate-change.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Climate and Climate Change |date=May 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-1-climate-change.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2021climate, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Climate and Climate Change}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/winnipeg-river-basin-sheet-1-climate-change.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }