Linked Hydrologic and Climate Variations in British Columbia and Yukon

Climatic and hydrologic variations between the decades 1976–1985 and 1986–1995 are examined at 34 climate stations and 275 hydrology stations. The variations in climate are distributedacross a broad spatial area. Temperatures were generally warmerin the most recent decade, with many stations showing significantincreases during the spring and fall. No significant decreases intemperature were found. Significant increases in temperature weremore frequent in the south than in the northern portions of theregion. Significant changes in precipitation were also more prevalent in the south. In coastal areas, there were significantdecreases in precipitation during the dry season, and significantincreases during the wet season. In the BC interior, significantprecipitation decreases occurred during the fall, with significant increases during the winter and spring. In the norththere were few changes in precipitation. The hydrologic responsesto these variations in climate follow six distinctive patterns.The spatial distribution of these patterns suggests that indifferent ecozones, small variations in climate, particularlytemperature, elicit different hydrologic responses.