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=Improved Processes and Parameterisation for Prediction in Cold Regions (IP3)= The Improved Processes & Parameterisation for Prediction in Cold Regions (IP3) research network was established to bring together researchers from across Canada under one umbrella to enhance the sharing and understanding of water resource research in Canada's cold regions. Researchers and collaborators from Canadian, American and European universities and government institutions collaborate through sharing of ongoing research within the cold regions theme. IP3 objectives focus on three stages of information gathering; collecting data on various cold regions processes, parameterisation of those processes and the integration of the parameterisation schemes into cold regions models. Details beyond the scope of this entry can be found in Pomeroy et al (2007)1 or on the IP3 website.

Background
The ability to understand and model hydrological processes is increasingly important due to the need for predicting the effects on water resources resulting from both climate change and changes in land use. Detailed field studies lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms through which water travels through the water cycle. Snow dynamics dominates the water cycle in cold regions and process studies include blowing snow transport, sublimation, snowmelt, and snow interception in forest canopies.

Research themes
Funding for the network is primarily from the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS) Partners supporting the network include Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Yukon Environment, Parks Canada and the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. IP3 divides research teams into three overlapping themes:

1. Cold regions processes
Cold regions processes are studied in both mountain locations (high altitudes) and northern locations (high latitudes). Mountain research sites include Marmot Creek in Kananaskis Country and Peyto Glacier in Banff National Park, both in Alberta; Lake O'Hara region in Yoho National Park, British Columbia; Reynolds Creek, Idaho, and Wolf Creek Research Basin in the Yukon. Northern research sites include Trail Valley Creek, Havikpak Creek, Baker Creek, and Scotty Creek, Northwest Territories and Polar Bear Pass, Nunavut. Hydrological processes studied include...

2. Parameterisations of cold regions processes
Parameterisation involves defining a physical process in a numerical manner - allowing it to be used in development of a model.

3. Prediction
The ultimate result of developing functional parameterisations from a better understanding of cold regions processes is the use of that knowledge in developing models for predictions in ungauged basins. In northern Canada, planned pipelines will make over 675 river/stream crossings, only 15 of which are monitored. The development and use of a modelling program for use in the unmonitored watersheds will lead to a better understanding of water flow in regions where collecting physical data is prohibitively expensive.

Cold Regions Hydrological Model
The Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) was developed at the University of Saskatchewan as a software platform for building physically-based hydrological models over small to medium sized drainage basins. CRHM is both a research and predictive tool that can easily incorporate new parameterisations to simulate the cold regions hydrological cycle. The model has a simple user interface and is designed to be sensitive to the impacts of land use and climate change.

Research sites
Specific research is carried out at the following geographically representative sites.
 * Trail Valley Creek, Northwest Territories is a shrub and tundra site draining into the Arctic Ocean through the Eskimo Lakes system. Research in this watershed is focused on monitoring links between snow cover, blowing snow redistribution, permafrost active layer depth, and water runoff.
 * Havikpak Creek, Northwest Territories flows into the Mackenzie River near the Mackenzie Delta. The basin is primarily open taiga woodland underlain by continuous permafrost. Snowmelt and runoff processes are studied for model inputs.
 * Wolf Creek, Yukon is a large research basin representing a subarctic mountain environment with both lowland forest and alpine tundra sites. This site has permanent stream gauge and climate station monitoring sites. Stream gauges allow the study of the snowmelt driven water cycle and the influence of frozen ground on the process. Meteorological stations allow for the study of snow redistribution modelling for use in modelling other northern sites.
 * Baker Creek, Northwest Territories includes a series of interconnected lakes draining a watershed north of Great Slave Lake. The landscape is mixed taiga woodland and boreal forest. Lake connectivity relationships are studied to explore runoff response and water storage patterns in a diverse northern landscape underlain by permafrost.
 * Scotty Creek, Northwest Territories represents a region of boreal forest with wetlands and bogs in a zone of discontinuous permafrost located south of the confluence of the Liard and Mackenzie Rivers. Permafrost in this region is undergoing change with peat plateaus being converted to bogs and wetlands through permafrost thaw. This leads to changes in drainage patterns with issues for model development.
 * Polar Bear Pass, Nunavut is located on Bathurst Island and is an arctic wetlands research site underlain with continuous permafrost with a polar desert type climate.
 * Marmot Creek, Alberta is a small watershed primarily covered with sub-alpine forest with alpine tundra ridgetops. This location is supported by the Biogeoscience Institute at the University of Calgary.
 * Peyto Creek, drains a glacierized alpine basin in Banff National Park. Peyto Glacier covers 60% of the watershed and is part of the National Glaciology Programme of Natural Resources Canada.
 * Lake O'Hara, is a wet alpine watershed that ultimately feeds into the Columbia River Basin. Three small glaciers cover 5% of the basin. Research at this site focuses on determining the data needed for snowmelt models to accurately describe groundwater movements in snowmelt.
 * Reynolds Creek is a mountainous research site in southwestern Idaho. This heavily monitored location is part of the Northwest Watershed Research Center

Program structure and linkages
The Principal Investigator for IP3 is Dr. John Pomeroy - Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change at the University of Saskatchewan. A Board of Directors is chaired by Ming-ko Woo of McMaster University which oversees program strategy, while a Science Committee takes the day to day decisions about the implementation of the project.

IP3 legacy
IP3 is building on its research legacy through ties with the Western Watersheds Climate Research Collaborative and is progressing towards developing a centre in Canmore, Alberta for research on snow and ice.