Lake O'Hara, BC

Location and Physical Characteristics

• Located at the Continental Divide (51º21'30"N, 116º20'15"W) in Yoho National Park;
• Elevation rage: 2000 - 3500 m;
• 14 km² drainage area above the outlet of Lake O'Hara;
• Approximately 20% of the watershed is sub-alpine coniferous forest, and 80% is alpine (exposed bedrock, talus slopes, glacial moraine material, and very small amount of glacier ice cover);
• Representative of alpine headwaters in the Canadian Rockies.

History

• The research basin was established by the University of Calgary in 2004, with permission and assistance from Parks Canada;
• Annual snow surveys at maximum accumulation have been carried out since 2006, sampling 1200-1500 depth points and 200-300 density measurements;
• Intensive characterization of subsurface materials and structure by geophysical imaging.

Current Science Focus and Instrumentation

• Research efforts are primarily led by Professor Masaki Hayashi and his research team at the University of Calgary;
• Focused studies on snow hydrology, groundwater hydrology, stream-groundwater interaction, alpine permafrost, and glacier mass and energy balance;
• Main research infrastructure includes: two weather stations, five stream gauging stations, and two lake water level stations.

Other Resources and Further Information

• Information brochure: The Changing Environment of Western Canada: Canadian Rocky Mountains
• Data catalogue for Lake O'Hara;
• Presentation on Lake O'Hara at CCRN's Targeted Process Studies Workshop, Hamilton, ON, September 12-13, 2013

For further information contact: