The vulnerability of the Englishman River floodplain to modelled climate change (British Columbia)

Introduction. Rivers play a key role for life in Canada. They are both a valuable resource and a natural hazard. They are valued for water supply, energy, fisheries, transportation, recreation, waste disposal, scenic quality and habitat. They are also hazards due to the natural processes of flooding, deposition, erosion and channel migration. Rivers are not static objects that follow well-defined courses over time, but are dynamic systems and thus respond to changes in natural and anthropogenic processes.; Global climate change is likely to cause changes to river systems in British Columbia. This is because, in a general sense, water availability is vulnerable to variations in temperature and precipitation. Therefore, expected temperature increases and changes in precipitation amount, intensity and type, will impact rivers by altering their flow regimes, and hence stream processes.; Study rationale. This research study expands the understanding of the hydrologic and geomorphic impacts of a changed climate on the floodplain of the Englishman River, a 7th order river on the east coast of central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and considers how these changes will affect humans who inhabit the floodplain of the lower reaches of the river. The research attempts to answer the question "What is the vulnerability of the Lower Englishman River Floodplain to modelled climate change?". Building on the outputs of a Global Climate Change model (Reynolds, 2002), this study provides an estimate of how hydrologic and corresponding geomorphic processes might also change and considers the local impacts of those changes.; Pressures to build communities on river floodplains mean that humans need to be fundamentally aware of which lands are vulnerable to future flooding and geomorphic change, and to build policies that protect people and infrastructure.