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Climate change presents unique challenges for grape growers across the world. In Ontario, three distinct viticultural regions are experiencing climatic shifts towards warmer growing seasons. According to historical records collected from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Lake Erie North Shore has transitioned from an intermediate-to-warm growing season classification, the Niagara Peninsula from the lower to upper limits of the intermediate zone, and Prince Edward County from cool to intermediate, when analyzing their average growing season temperatures. Terroir is directly related to vine water status, an indicator of grapevine stress. Biophysical responses controlled by air temperature and precipitation include fluctuations in vapour pressure deficits, evapotranspiration, and water-use-efficiency rates, as well as soil water content levels. By conducting an extensive literature review, the development of a conceptual model addresses how variations in climatic controls, under the scope of climate change, may influence grapevine water status, biophysical responses, and associated production outcomes for Ontario vineyards. Cool-to-intermediate air temperatures, when paired with increased precipitation will lead to no or low vine stress, increasing photosynthesis and transpiration rates, and variable plant water-use-efficiency levels, producing higher yields and lower quality grapes, if no management strategies are applied. Oppositely, higher air temperature as a product of climate change, when paired with variable precipitation may produce mild-to-severe stress, reducing yield, and increasing grape quality. With the appropriate management strategies, both traditional and new, growers may be able to accommodate for the influence of climate change on their vineyards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maximum information entropy production model (MaxEnt), the relative humidity at equilibrium approach (ETRHEQ), and the Surface Flux Equilibrium model (SFE) are three recently developed models to estimate evapotranspiration. Although the connection between ETRHEQ and SFE is evident, no attempts have been made to investigate the congruence, distinctions, or potential complementarity between the two models and MaxEnt. Our mathematical analysis demonstrates that minimizing the vertical variance of RH in ETRHEQ is equivalent to minimizing the dissipation function of energy fluxes in MaxEnt, under the assumption of the same eddy diffusivity of heat and water vapor and with a specific expression for the ratio between the thermal inertia terms for H and LE. The connection between ETRHEQ, SFE, and MaxEnt is independent of Monin‐Obukhov similarity theory (MOST)'s extremum solution, and MOST's extreme solution can be viewed as equivalent to introducing a constant correction factor to account for atmospheric stability. While ETRHEQ and MaxEnt can be united within a single hydrometeorological framework, they diverge in their approaches to modeling evapotranspiration, particularly in how they address the roles of vegetation and land surface heterogeneity. More importantly, the unified framework suggests that turbulence fluxes within the atmospheric boundary layer adhere to the principles of maximum information entropy production. The way in which dissipation, along with its associated entropy production, is established using information entropy theory deviates from traditional thermodynamic entropy formulations. Exploring the connection between thermodynamic and information entropy and developing proper formulations of dissipation for energy fluxes presents an appealing avenue for prospective research. Plain Language Summary: This paper seeks to establish a common theory for explaining the effectiveness of the maximum information entropy production model (MaxEnt), the relative humidity at equilibrium approach (ETRHEQ), and the Surface Flux Equilibrium model (SFE) in estimating evapotranspiration over a wide range of conditions. It uncovers that under reasonable assumptions, ETRHEQ's method in terms of minimizing the vertical variance in relative humidity is equivalent to MaxEnt's approach to minimizing dissipation. The united theory suggests that the movement of air and energy in the lower atmosphere follows the principles of maximum information entropy production, a concept that is a bit different from traditional ideas of entropy in thermodynamics. Looking into how thermodynamic entropy and information entropy are connected and figuring out the right way to calculate dissipation and entropy production for energy flux could lead to new insights in atmospheric science and land‐atmosphere interactions. Key Points: The study presented a pure theorical analysis to unifying MaxEnt, ETRHEQ, and SFE within the same hydrometeorological frameworkMinimizing the vertical variance of RH in ETRHEQ is equivalent to minimizing the dissipation function of energy fluxes in MaxEntThe connection between MaxEnt, ETRHEQ, and SFE is independent of Monin‐Obukhov similarity theory (MOST)'s extremum solution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic tile drainage is used extensively in poorly drained agricultural lands to remove excess water and improve crop growth; however, tiles can also transfer nutrients from farmlands to downstream surface water bodies, leading to water quality problems. Thus, there is a need to simulate the hydrological behaviour of tile drains to understand the impacts of climate or land management change on agricultural surface and subsurface runoff. The Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) is a physically based, modular modelling system developed for cold regions. Here, a tile drainage module is developed for CRHM. A multi-variable, multi-criteria model performance evaluation strategy was deployed to examine the ability of the module to capture tile discharge under both winter and summer conditions (NSE > 0.29, RSR < 0.84 and PBias < 20 for tile flow and saturated storage simulations). Initial model simulations run at a 15 min interval did not satisfactorily represent tile discharge; however, model simulations improved when the time step was lengthened to hourly but also with the explicit representation of capillary rise for moisture interactions between the rooting zone and groundwater, demonstrating the significance of capillary rise above the saturated storage layer in the hydrology of tile drains in loam soils. Novel aspects of this module include the sub-daily time step, which is shorter than most existing models, and the use of field capacity and its corresponding pressure head to provide estimates of drainable water and the thickness of the capillary fringe, rather than using detailed soil retention curves that may not always be available. An additional novel aspect is the demonstration that flows in some tile drain systems can be better represented and simulated when related to shallow saturated storage dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands comprise unique water storage and conveyance mechanisms that maintain landscape integrity under the sub-humid climate in the Athabasca Oil Sands Area. In addition to their internal function, wetlands support a two-way hydrological connection to adjacent uplands and provide water for downstream water courses. Understanding the role of wetlands as integral parts of surface water (SW)–groundwater (GW) exchange can provide insights into the functioning of the hydrological system as a whole and contribute to thoughtful water management strategies and better coordination of monitoring efforts in the areas affected by oil sands (OS) activities. As such, this study summarizes the current state of hydrological knowledge on the role of wetlands in SW–GW interactions based on studies conducted within the Western Boreal Plains. In particular, the role of wetland soils and their properties in SW–GW interactions, the effects of wetlands on landscape hydrological connectivity and watershed runoff, and features of "wetland–aquifer" and "wetland–open waterbody" interactions were reviewed. Given that alterations of SW–GW interactions in wetlands can occur as a result of anthropogenic disturbances, the coordination of GW, SW, and wetland monitoring efforts and targeting areas where increased SW–GW exchange occurs would be beneficial for the economic and logistical efficiency of the OS monitoring network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy companies in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in Alberta, Canada are evaluating the viability of incorporating pit lakes into reclamation closure designs to both sequester tailings and re-integrate the mining lease into the broader natural landscape. Lake Miwasin is a pilot-scale oil sands pit lake encompassed by a constructed catchment where the volume of the water cap is not actively managed. This study compared the water balance during the open water season over two consecutive years with contrasting levels of summertime precipitation. The first year had above average rainfall triggering surface water inflow events that diluted the over-winter water volume by ~ 25%. Flushing of the deepest layers of the water column was restricted from May – September as thermal stratification inhibited complete lake mixing. The second year had below average rainfall resulting in minimal surface water inflow and a drop in lake stage of ~ 30 cm. As the constructed catchment lacks both natural water bodies and connectivity to a legacy groundwater system, freshwater additions to the lake during the summer season were governed by rainfall. This research highlights challenges with constructing sustainable reclamation landscapes within a region characterised by variations in interannual and decadal water cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the calculation of land‐atmosphere fluxes of heat and water vapor in mountain terrain requires better resolution of thermally driven diurnal winds (i.e., valley, slope winds) due to differential heating by terrain and radiative fluxes. In this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting model is used to simulate flow in large‐eddy simulation (LES) mode over the complex terrain of the Fortress Mountain and Marmot Creek research basins, Kananaskis Valley, Canadian Rockies, Alberta in mid‐summer. The model was used to examine the temporal and spatial evolution of local winds and near‐surface boundary layer processes with variability in topography and elevation. Numerically resolving complex terrain wind flow effects require smaller grid cell size. However, the use of terrain‐following coordinates in most numerical weather prediction models results in large numerical errors when flow over steep terrain is simulated. These errors propagate through the domain and can result in numerical instability. To avoid this issue when simulating flow over steep terrain a local smoothing approach was used, where smoothing is applied only where slope exceeds some predetermined threshold. LES results from local smoothing were compared with a mesoscale model and LES with global smoothing. Simulations are evaluated using sounding data and meteorological stations. The differences in flow patterns and reversals in two mountain basins suggest that valley geometry and volume is relevant to the break up of inversion layers, removal of cold‐air pools, and strength of thermally driven winds. Key Points: Large‐eddy simulations in complex terrain utilizing smoothing techniques resolve thermally driven mountain flowsMesoscale flow interactions with mountainous terrain can influence valley windsTopographical differences in mountain basins affects local flows and cold‐air pooling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatland microtopography contains hummocks (local high points) and hollows (local low points). Little is known about how the evaporation of peat (P), peat‐bryophyte (BP), peat‐litter (LP) and peat‐bryophyte‐litter (LBP) columns varies with peatland microforms. That is, whether there are fine‐scale variations in peatland evaporation, and if they are critical when being upscaled to the entire peatland ecosystem is yet to be answered. This study found that evaporation was significantly affected by cover type (P, BP, LP or LBP) and the interaction effect of the cover type and microform, based on the field evaporation experiments in a montane peatland in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, during the growing season of 2021. Mean daily evaporation of P‐Hummock and P‐Hollow is 14.16 and 11.76 g day−1, respectively; BP‐Hummock and BP‐Hollow is 9.57 and 14.38 g day−1, respectively; LBP‐Hummock and LBP‐Hollow is 9.44 and 9.91 g day−1, respectively; and evaporation of LP‐Hummock and LP‐Hollow is 5.68 and 7.64 g day−1, respectively. Peatland microform indirectly affected evaporation through interactions with cover type, modifying the vertical profile of soil temperature and changing key environmental drivers of evaporation. Moreover, the ability of two widely used models in modelling the spatial variation of peatland evaporation was also tested. It was found that Penman–Monteith (P–M) model and the bryophyte layer model in the Atmosphere‐Plant Exchange Simulator (APES) were able to yield satisfactory results based on field measurements of soil temperature and soil moisture. This study supports developing more practical evaluation tools on the hydrological state of peatland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic tile drainage is used extensively in agricultural lands to remove excess water and improve crop growth; however, tiles can also transfer nutrients from farmlands to downstream surface water bodies, leading to water quality problems. There is a need to simulate the hydrological behaviour of tile drains to understand the impacts of climate or land management change on agricultural runoff. The Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) is a physically based, modular modelling system that enables the creation of comprehensive models appropriate for cold regions by including a full suite of winter, spring, and summer season processes and coupling these together via mass and energy balances. A new tile drainage module was developed for CRHM to account for this process in tile-drained landscapes that are increasingly common in cultivated basins of the Great Lakes and northern Prairies regions of North America. A robust multi-variable, multi-criteria model performance evaluation strategy was deployed to examine the ability of the module with CRHM to capture tile discharge under both winter and summer conditions. Results showed that soil moisture is largely regulated by tile flow and lateral flow from adjacent fields. The explicit representation of capillary rise for moisture interactions between the rooting zone and groundwater greatly improved model simulations, demonstrating its significance in the hydrology of tile drains in loam soils. Water level patterns revealed a bimodal behaviour that depended on the positioning of the capillary fringe relative to the tile. A novel aspect of this module is the use of field capacity and its corresponding pressure head to provide an estimate of drainable water and thickness of the capillary fringe, rather than a detailed soil retention curve that may not always be available. Understanding the bimodal nature of soil water levels provides better insight into the significance of dynamic water exchange between soil layers below drains to improve tile drainage representation in models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large‐scale oil sands mining in the Athabasca oil sands region has caused significant disturbance to forest and peatland ecosystems of the Western Boreal Plains in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Reclamation of these ecosystems has faced many challenges, including successful re‐vegetation of uplands. The trajectory of reclaimed uplands depends on the community structure of tree species, which in turn influences vertical water exchanges via increases in rainfall interception and transpiration. The trajectory therefore influences vadose zone moisture dynamics and reduces water available for recharge to adjacent reclaimed peatlands. The objectives of this study were to assess trends in transpiration of dominant tree species in a reclaimed upland and quantify canopy–rainfall dynamics and its impact on near‐surface soil moisture regime and tree water use. To assess these trends, throughfall, interception and stemflow were measured throughout the growing season. Tree transpiration was measured using sap flow sensors, along with soil tension measurements using soil tensiometers. Results indicate that tree transpiration and water use are controlled by water availability, and at this stage (6 years since reclamation), canopy interception has begun to play an important role in partitioning growing season rainfall. At this time in canopy development, transpiration accounted for 52% of water losses from the system, with broadleaf trees contributing 71%. However, coniferous trees had greater interception capabilities, as Picea mariana intercepted 35% and Pinus banksiana 32%, while broadleaf Populus tremuloides and Populus balsamifera contributed 29% and 26%, respectively. As this reclaimed upland canopy continues to evolve, moisture partitioning, including groundwater recharge to the adjacent fen will continue to change over time, suggesting that the successional pathway of constructed watersheds is strongly influenced by hydrometeorological conditions within the first decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]