Although progress has been made over the past five years, many of the research needs identified within the Canada Country Study with respect to the potential impacts of climate change on water resources remain valid. For example, continued improvements are required in the understanding and modelling of hydrological processes at local to global scales, such as the role of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in controlling hydrological variability. From a regional perspective, studies based in the Atlantic Provinces, eastern Arctic, and high-elevation mountainous regions are still lacking. The same applies to studies of groundwater resources across most of the country, as emphasized in a recent synthesis for the Canadian Prairies.⁽²⁰⁾

A primary goal of impacts and adaptation research is to reduce vulnerability to climate change and, as such, there is a need for studies that focus on the regions and systems considered to be most vulnerable. In Canada, this includes areas presently under water stress, such as the Prairies, the interior of British Columbia, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin and parts of Atlantic Canada, as well as regions where climate change impacts on water resources may have large ramifications for existing or planned activities. In some cases, studies may have to initially address fundamental knowledge gaps with respect to either processes or data (e.g., the paucity of data on groundwater use in most areas) before meaningful analyses of adaptation options can be undertaken.

Needs identified within the recent literature cited in this chapter include the following:

Impacts

1. Research on the interactive effects between climate change impacts and other stresses, such as land use change and population growth
2. Improved understanding of the economic and social impacts of climate change with respect to water resources
3. Improved access to, and monitoring of, socio-economic and hydrological data
4. More integrative studies, which look at the ecological controls and human influence on the vulnerability of water to climate change
5. Studies that focus on understanding and defining critical thresholds in water resource systems, rather than on the impacts of changes in mean conditions
6. Research on the vulnerability of groundwater to climate change and improved groundwater monitoring
7. Research on the impacts of climate change on water uses, such as navigation, recreation/ tourism, drinking-water supplies, hydroelectric power generation and industry, as well as on ecological integrity
8. Studies that address the impacts of climate change on water quality

Adaptation

1. Integrative studies of water resources planning, which address the role and influence of water managers on adaptive capacity
2. Understanding of the current capacity of water management structures and institutions to deal with projected climate change, and the social, economic and environmental costs and benefits of future adaptations
3. With respect to adaptation via water pricing and policy/legislation, better understanding of the environmental justice and equity consequences, and mechanisms to assess the impacts of water transfers on third parties