Overview
The Wolf Creek research basin, located ~20 km SSW of Whitehorse, Yukon, covers a variety of terrain and land cover in the Boreal Cordillera ecozone. The drainage covers ~200 km², mainly from SW to NE, with elevations spanning 880 m to 2250 m. Surface cover ranges from dense Boreal Forest at lower elevations (~22%), through sparse forest, open meadow and shrub tundra (subalpine taiga: ~58%) at higher elevations, with exposed alpine areas (alpine tundra: ~20%) around summits. The basin hosts permafrost and several firn patches on leeward slopes at higher elevations.
The regional climate is classified as subarctic continental, characterized by wide seasonal variation in temperature, low relative humidity and relatively low precipitation. Mean annual temperature is ~-3°C, with mean monthly temperatures of 5°C – 15°C in summer, and -10°C – -20°C in winter. Summer (winter) extremes of 25°C (-40°C) are not uncommon. Mean annual precipitation is 300 – 400 mm, with approximately 40% falling as snow.
The basin’s terrain, land cover and climate are thus representative of much of the interior subarctic cordillera landscape. It has hosted a wide range of environmental research since the 1992, when it was initiated as a long-term multidisciplinary research project, supported by (as it was then) Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's Arctic Environmental Strategy, in partnership with Environment Canada's National Hydrology Research Institute. Data generated by instruments installed in the basin have informed a series of major hydrometeorological research projects, led particularly by the University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for Hydrology, McMaster University, and the Water Resources Branch of Yukon Environment. Other studies have covered climate and climate change, vegetation, forestry, fisheries and wildlife.
Provider contact information
Dr. Sean Carey
Professor; Director, Watershed Hydrology Group
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
careysk@mcmaster.ca 905-525-9140 ext. 20134
Tyler DeJong – data manager (?)
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
tyler.dejong@mcmaster.ca
Licensing
Information not provided – likely to be unrestricted (in general)
Variable name and units
Snow Surveys: depth, density, SWE
Snow Pillow: SWE
Blowing Snow: snow particle detector
Hanging Tree: Tree weight, interpreted interception and evaporation
Snowmelt Photographs
Meteorological (varies with the station): Air temperature, relative humidity, IR canopy temperature, IR ground surface temperature, wind speed (upper and lower) and direction, net radiation, incoming + outgoing SW + LW radiation, snow depth, snow temperature, ground heat flux, barometric pressure, soil temperature (10 cm), precipitation (nipher, tipping bucket, Geonor, standpipe, Pluvio)
Soil Moisture and Temperature: Volumetric soil moisture and ground temperature profiles
Hydrometric: Water level, discharge, water temperature
Isotope data: Stream, rain isotopes
Groundwater: Water table depth, temperature
Soil Surveys: Soil horizons, coarse content, structure, texture, etc.
Water Chemistry, Aquatic Organisms: Inorganics, metals, nutrients, organics, physical, invertebrates
Ground Temperature: deep thermistors
Eddy Correlation (Granger Basin only): Latent and sensible heat flux
GIS data: DEM from high-resolution LiDAR survey
Spatial coverage and resolution
Main basin:
Three main meteorological stations:
Forest 60.596000°N, 134.952833°W
Alpine 60.567267°N, 135.184652°W
Buckbrush 60.521630°N, 135.197151°W
Granger Sub-Basin:
Granger Basin 60.5465420°N, 135.184652°W
GB 2, Stream Site (nearby well-gauge)
GB 3, South-Facing Slope
GB 4, North-Facing Slope
GB 5, Upper Granger
GB Plateau
Three hydrometric stations:
Wolf Creek @ Hwy 60.6000°N, 134.9500°W
Coal Lake Outlet 60.5101620°N, 135.162273°W
Upper Wolf Creek 60.4908930°N, 135.291596°W
Snow Surveys: three traditional snow survey sites at Forest, Alpine, and ShrubTundra, each a 25 point transect with 5 density measurements.
Snow Pillow: Buckbrush station only
Blowing Snow: Snow particle detector at all 3 weather stations.
Hanging Tree: Forest station only.
Snowmelt Photographs: Buckbrush station only, and from GB N- + S-facing slopes
Soil moisture, temperature: at the three main weather stations, + GB3, GB PL: profiles at 5,15,30,80 cm depth
Groundwater: one deep groundwater well located in the lower portion of the basin.
Soil Surveys: 67 plots throughout basin. Bulk density and soil carbon data also available from separate surveys.
Water Chemistry, Aquatic Organisms: sampled at Wolf Creek @ Hwy by Environment Canada Freshwater Quality Monitoring and Surveillance, as part of Pacific Yukon Water Quality Monitoring Program and Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network
Ground Temperature
Deep Thermisters
2006-2013
Local
University of Ottawa permafrost studies operated by Antoni Lewkowicz.
Eddy Correlation: GB 2, GB 3, GB 4, and GB Plateau stations.
Temporal coverage and resolution
Snow surveys:
Main basin: 2004-2014 (+?) Monthly
Granger Basin 1997-2008 Variable
Snow Pillow 1996-2013 3 hr (real-time telemetry)
Blowing Snow 1993-2010 30 min
Hanging Tree 1997-2003
Snowmelt Photographs 2012-2013 twice daily
Meteorological:
Forest, Alpine, Buckbrush 1993-2018 30 min
GB2: 1998-2009
GB3: 1998-2004
GB4: 1998-2004
GB5: 1999-2008
GB PL: 2002-2013
Soil moisture, temperature:
ain basin stns: 1993-2018 30 min
GB3: 2000-2004 30 min
GB PL: 2002-2012 30 min
Hydrometric:
Main gauges: 1993-2013 15 min stage
(continuously from early May to early Oct: discharge also measured ~monthly, year-round)
Nr GB2 1998-2013 15 min stage
Isotope data: 2013- (+ variable samples prior) mostly biweekly
groundwater: 2001-2013 1hr
Soil Surveys: 1998 Non-recurring
Water chem., aquatic org.: 1993-1996, 2004-Present Infrequent
Ground Temperature: 2006-2013
Eddy Correlation 1999-2003 30 min
Information about related datasets
n/a
Limitations and strengths for application
Local spatial focus, geared primarily towards hydrological research (landscape – snow – vegetation – runoff dynamics): some datasets project-driven rather than strategic: potentially multiple data sources (universities, research networks, Yukon Government)
References
Published data paper:
Rasouli K., Pomeroy J.W., Janowicz J.R., Williams T.J. and Carey S. (2019) A long-term hydrometeorological dataset (1993-2014) of a northern mountain basin: Wolf Creek Research Basin, Yukon Territory, Canada. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 89-100, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-89-2019
Published dataset:
Rasouli K., Pomeroy J., Janowicz J.R., Williams T. and Carey S. (2018) Hydrometeorological data collected at Wolf Creek Research Basin, Yukon Territory, Canada over 1993-2014 [Dataset]. Federated Research Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.20383/101.0113
Site metadata from Global Water Futures network
https://gwfnet.net/Metadata/Record/T-2021-02-27-M1M2i2h80VKUijFOFoBEM3wFw
Older metadata
http://giws.usask.ca/meta/Metadata_WolfCreek.html
Overview from Changing Cold Regions Network
https://ccrnetwork.ca/science-programme/wecc-observatories/wolf-creek.php
Detailed descriptions of instrumentation
http://giws.usask.ca/meta/Wolf%20Creek%20sensors.xlsx
Link to download data (and format)
Data may be available from Global Water Futures data portal (requires login), or on request from the originator. Some data available from Yukon Government (see Water Data Catalogue). WSC / MSC data also available from respective archives.