Author(s): M. R. Klein; R. R. Raban
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Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Historical archives can be a valuable source of environmental and climatic data to effectively reconstruct conditions in the recent past. A pilot project was conducted to obtain and assess water-related data from the Hudson's Bay Company trading post journals at Churchill Factory and Fort Prince of Wales (1718 to 1941). The data collected and analyzed included: freeze-up and break-up dates of the river; end of winter river ice thickness; end of winter snow accumulation; qualitative estimates of water levels during the open water season; flooding occurrences and drought periods; and selected weather and climate data. This paper describes the method of gathering the data and the trends and extremes of the data. Although the primary focus of the project was to obtain water-related data in order to reconstruct water levels, the project also demonstrates the types and value of river ice information from historical sources.
Year: 1998