«I have been studying river and streams for a long time using streamflow data that I or others have collected. The type of photographic records that CrowdWater is compiling has huge potential for contributing to the understanding of streamflow in mountains and elsewhere. Very few streams have actual gauges and those that are gauged have a strong bias towards perennial streams. I am particularly interested in streams that do not always have water and where I live this happens in space and time. Many streams are dry through much of the year in some locations, but it other places on the stream water is often at the surface; in winter this presents itself as large patches of ice. Most days, I contribute a photo of a stream under a bridge that is near my home and is the perfect distance for walking my dog. This stream is frozen much of the year at this location and without flow for additional periods of time. Participating in CrowdWater in this way has allowed me to contribute these images and observations and to personally reflect on these observations in terms of water generation across mountainous areas.»
Paul Whitfield
Senior Research Fellow – Centre for Hydrology – University of Saskatchewan Canmore Alberta