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Water and Climate Change

© Government of Yukon

Water is vital to every aspect of life in Yukon. While we know climate change affects our water resources, we can’t say with certainty to what extent because a lot of factors can affect the water cycle.

What we do know is that we are seeing changes in many areas including:

• Precipitation – Rain and snow have increased in some regions of Yukon steadily over the past 50 years. Most projections suggest this trend will continue, particularly in winter.

• Snowmelt – Over the past 25 years the trend has been toward snowmelt starting earlier in the year. This is not surprising given the sensitivity of spring snowmelt to spring temperatures, which have risen steadily as well.

• Groundwater – How climate change will affect groundwater is not well understood, even though most Yukon communities rely on groundwater for their drinking water. Melting permafrost will likely result in more groundwater contributing to streamflow.

 

Water Resources Vulnerability Report

The vulnerability report is part of the Yukon government’s overall response to climate change, as set out in the Climate Change Action Plan.

A summary version has also been prepared.

 

 

	Yukon Water: An Assessment of Climate Change Vulnerabilities 10 MB This detailed report succinctly sets out the challenges posed by climate change and provides guidance for watershed planning along with ways to anticipate and meet the future needs of water users.
	Yukon Water: A Summary of Climate Change Vulnerabilities 3 MB This summary report sets out how water is used here, who is involved in water management, how climate change might affect our resources, what monitoring efforts are underway and where we go next.

 

yukonwater website

This online resource has information about Yukon's water resources and how we use them, water management, the legislation that guides our interactions with water, and water monitoring.

It also provides centralized access to data such as water quality from dozens of locations, real-time water flow information and historic rainfall information.

Both yukonwater and the vulnerabilities reports are part of the Yukon government’s overall response to climate change, as set out in the Climate Change Action Plan.

As a result of climate change and a growing population, we know Yukon’s water resources will be tested in the future. Easy access to information is needed to help us understand how to adapt effectively. By working together we can manage our water use so that we can count on our water supplies well into the future.

 

 

Contact Water Resources Environment Yukon Government of Yukon Box 2703 (V-310) Whitehorse, Yukon Canada Y1A 2C6 Phone: 867-667-3171 Toll free (in Yukon): 1-800-661-0408 local 3171 Fax: 867-667-3195 Email: water.resources@gov.yk.ca

Last Updated: February 26, 2013 | © 2013 Government of Yukon | Copyright | Privacy Statement | Disclaimer