Red River Basin Watershed District Conference 2025
The 42nd annual Red River Basin Land and Water International Conference will be focusing on the innovations required to manage the unprecedented environmental changes facing our watersheds.
DATE: JANUARY 14-16, 2025
LOCATION: ALERUS CENTER, GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA
The conference provides an opportunity for watershed district staff and board members to engage with industry professionals, decision makers, businesses, and each other. It provides a place for celebrating successes, community building, staying connected to new and emerging practices, education, and advocacy for the protection of our water resources.
Visit the conference website by clicking the links below, and discover the full speaker list, and registration details.
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CWRA WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE: PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO WATER RESOURCES
The CWRA Ontario Conference, themed Climate Change: Practical Approaches to Water Resources, will bring together professionals to explore innovative solutions and strategies for addressing the impacts of climate change on water resources.
DATE: Friday, January 31, 2025, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM ET
LOCATION: Delta Hotels Toronto Airport & Conference Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hosted by the CWRA Ontario Board, this event offers a dynamic program featuring presentations on cutting-edge research, case studies, and technical solutions to tackle climate extremes, enhance natural asset management, and develop adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Visit the conference website by clicking the links below, and discover the full speaker list, and registration details.
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SETAC North America 45th Annual Meeting
SETAC is dedicated to advancing environmental science and science-informed decision-making through collaboration, communication, education and leadership. Mark your calendars for October 20-24, 2024, as Michael V. Callaghana and Brayden McNeil visit SETAC- visit the conference website by clicking the links below, and discover the full speaker list, and registration details.
GeoMontréal 2024
Discover the Future of Geosciences at GeoMontréal 2024!
The Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS), in collaboration with the Canadian National Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH-CNC), proudly presents GeoMontréal 2024!
Mark your calendars for September 15-18, 2024, as the CGS, in collaboration with the IAH-CNC, are hosting their 77th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and the 16th Joint CGS/IAH-CNC Groundwater Conference, GeoMontréal 2024.
Visit the conference website by clicking the links below, and discover the full speaker list, and registration details.
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IGC 2024 - 37th Annual Conference of the International Geological Congress
There will be many opportunities to connect with Aquanty at this conference. Join Brayden McNeill at our booth for a demonstration of Aquanty’s real-time hydrologic forecasting system (HGSRT) or to learn more about the Canada1Water project.
Or you can connect with Dr. Steve Berg and Dr. Hyoun-Tae Hwang at the session that we are hosting on Groundwater Surface Water Interactions.
Finally, you’ll have a chance to learn more about HydroGeoSphere at our short-course preceding the conference. Details below!
Session Information - Groundwater and surface water interactions
Session #: T18-Session 6
Conveners: Dr. Steve Berg and Dr. Hyoun-Tae Hwang
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Rene Therrien
Description:
Groundwater-surface water (GW-SW) interactions are generally considered as water, solute, or heat exchanges between groundwater and surface water systems. Groundwater discharges into rivers and lakes and sustains ecosystems by regulating the water cycle. On the other hand, surface water also affects groundwater system through a recharge process. Therefore, from the hydrological perspective, groundwater and surface water are a single resource and managing this resource requires an understanding of how these systems interact. As a single resource, understanding interactions between groundwater and surface water has been significantly important for water quantity and quality management, including flood and drought controls, contamination risk mitigation, and biological and ecological system sustainability and assessment. Considering the importance of GW-SW interactions, there are growing studies on the spatiotemporal dynamics of GW-SW interactions because of requiring multidisciplinary understanding across social, political, and scientific communities. This session aims to bring together researchers, practitioners and stakeholders in the fields of water resources and to introduce and discuss current advancements in understanding GW-SW interaction dynamics including water flow, solute and heat transport, and eco-hydrological processes from theoretical aspects, field and laboratory experiments/observations, and numerical and analytical modelling.
HydroGeoSphere Short Course: Introduction to Fully-Integrated Hydrologic Modelling
Presenters: Dr. Hyoun-Tae Hwang
Course Assistance: Dr. Steve Berg and Brayden McNeill
Course Duration: 2 days
Description:
Tackling problems of water quantity and quality increasingly requires the simulation and quantification of complex flow and transport processes in coupled surface-subsurface systems. Over the last 15 years, HydroGeoSphere (HGS) has become available to address those types of problems. This 3-day HGS short course will be held at BEXCO, Busan, South Korea from the 23 to 24 of August 2024. The two-day short course will include three sessions: surface and groundwater modelling theories, basic tutorials for HGS operation, and advanced modelling techniques. These sessions will cover modelling techniques for solving commonly encountered advanced groundwater flow and contaminant transport problems in the real world. Participants will learn how to apply HGS to their own research or industrial projects through a combination of presentations and hand-on practices. The topics covered include: theoretical background of groundwater-surface water flow and contaminant transport (mathematical formulation and numerical approaches); hands-on simulation exercises (data preparation, mesh generation, HGS operation, calibration, visualization, and result interpretation); cost-effective computing skills (parallel computing utilities, characteristics of nonlinear problems, and effective mesh generation). Session 1. Surface and Groundwater Modelling: Theories and Real-World Applications. This session covers basic theories of surface and groundwater modelling implemented into HGS, including the development of conceptual models, a review of model parameterization/data requirements, and the application of boundary conditions. Modelling techniques related to groundwater systems will also be introduced in this session. Additionally, we will introduce the latest research and developments in fully integrated simulation of hydrosystems from the HGS team and user community, and potential applications for the HGS integrated modelling platform. Session 2. HGS Basics. This module covers basic skills for operating HGS from software installs to simulation output visualizations. All participants will practice how to construct conceptual models, setup boundary conditions and apply various groundwater physics such as well injection and extraction, reactive contaminant transport. Additionally, we will present efficient ways for processing datasets that are required for pre- and post-processes of HGS simulations. Session 3. Advanced HGS Modelling. This session covers important techniques for advanced simulations. Specifically, we will present how to generate quality meshes, model calibration processes and recent HGS developments for solving water resources problems. For advanced simulation examples and practices, all participants will solve several practical problem sets. Specifically, the topics of this workshop include: 1) overview of a basin-scale model and data structures, 2) detailed mesh generation, 3) 3D subsurface and 2D surface model constructions, 4) simulation parameter settings for cost-effective modelling, 5) detailed HGS-PEST operations based on the example model, 6) groundwater contribution analysis, and 7) model uncertainty analysis.
Webinar - Physics-based hydrologic forecasting, powered by HydroGeoSphere
Join us for an enlightening webinar as we dive into the revolutionary capabilities of our physics based hydrologic forecasting platform - a cutting-edge cloud-based computing system transforming hydrological forecasting.
The Conservation Authority Collaborative Information Sessions (CACIS)
Join us to learn about Aquanty’s hydrologic forecasting system, which produces short- and long-term predictions of streamflow rates and groundwater levels across Ontario using numerical and AI-based models. This talk will explore some of the complexities of forecast automation, from model construction to weather data processing, sensor data integration, and forecast dissemination. The audience will learn the steps involved to set up a real-time forecasting model for their region and integrate the predictions within their existing computer systems.
CWRA 2024 Saskatoon National Conference
Registration for CWRA 2024 National Conference is now open!
Explore the Future of Water Management at CWRA 2024 Saskatoon National Conference.
Mark your calendars for June 17-19, 2024, as the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) has its highly anticipated national conference in Saskatoon. This event brings together leading experts and professionals in the field of water resources to explore innovative solutions, share best practices, and address pressing challenges facing water management in 2024.
Visit the conference website by clicking the links below, and discover the full agenda highlights, and registration details. See you in Saskatoon!
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:
https://conference.cwra.org/registration/
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MODFLOW and More 2024
Conference Registration for MODFLOW and More 2024 “Hydrologic Modeling in a Changing World” is now open!
The 10th rendition of the MODFLOW-and-More (MF&M) conference convened in 2022 at Princeton University and was a great success, and Princeton is again the home for the 2024 conference.
The MF&M conference series has provided a vibrant forum for researchers, developers, practitioners, and regulators in the groundwater modeling community to convene, share experiences, and propagate ideas. Approaching the 2024 conference, groundwater has taken center-stage, and attendees will witness in-person presentations on wide-ranging topics and engage with leaders in the groundwater modeling community in the awe-inspiring surroundings of Princeton University.
For more event details, visit the links below:
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:
https://princeton.irisregistration.com/Form/MODFLOW24
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:
https://event.fourwaves.com/modflow2024/pages
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://igwmc.princeton.edu/modflow/
Or you can contact igwmc@princeton.edu with any questions.
IAGLR 2024 - Shared Lakes: One Water, One Health
Researchers from around the world will gather in Windsor for the 67th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research—the fifth time we've gathered in this central location along the Detroit River, or Waawiyaataanong Ziibi , known as "where the river bends" in Anishnaabemowin. A great program is in store with four days of scientific sessions and speakers centered around our theme Shared Lakes: One Water, One Health. This focus will offer a unique opportunity for both the science and local communities to share about the health of the Great Lakes and will highlight the intersections between environmental and public health in the context of large lakes, often shared across borders, and the communities impacted by them.
Join Brayden McNeill at our booth for a demonstration of Aquanty’s real-time hydrologic forecasting system (HGSRT) or to learn more about the Canada1Water project. We also expect to be delivering a presentation during session #5 (“Smarter Lakes are Better Lakes: Creating an Ecosystem of Digitally Connected Fresh Water”).
Title: HGSRT: Connecting streams, lakes, and groundwater in real time and on the web
Abstract: Aquanty staff present HydroGeoSphere Real-Time (HGSRT), a digital web application for disseminating near-real-time hydrologic forecasts based on HydroGeoSphere, a fully integrated hydrologic modeling system that simulates the entire terrestrial water cycle. Three-dimensional physics-based models were built using HydroGeoSphere for twelve ~5000 km2 watersheds in Southern Ontario, each draining into the Great Lakes. These models are being run in near-real-time with weather forecast data and IOT sensor data, providing digital twins of the watersheds. With state-of-the-art fully integrated models under the hood, the HGSRT forecasts can confer up-to-date insights into physical processes such as streamflow, groundwater, soil moisture, recharge/discharge, and reservoir conditions. The web application is responsive and allows for water managers to monitor conditions on-the-go, including in ungauged areas. Recent developments and exciting new opportunities will be presented including water quality forecasting, quantifying forecast skill, and the development of a continental scale, open-source data framework to enable HGSRT deployment throughout the Great Lakes basin.
Pacific Climate Security Conference - Climate Change and Security in Western North America
Dr. Steve Frey
Aquanty’s Senior Scientist and Director of Research - Dr. Steve Frey - will take part in a panel discussion at the Climate Security Association of Canada’s (CSAC) Pacific Climate Security conference on February 1st, 2024.
Understanding the links between climate change and security is an urgent global priority for policymakers, scholars, civil society, and security and defence practitioners. Effectively
addressing these issues requires interdisciplinary and multi-method theorization, analysis, and
policy development. Join Dr. Frey, along with researchers from Northern Arizona University and University of Victoria for a panel discussion discussing specific impacts of climate change and their associated security concerns in Western North America.
“Understanding the multifaceted links between climate change and security across the global, national, and human levels of analysis is an urgent priority for policymakers, scholars, civil society, and security and defence practitioners. Complex relationships exist between the unfolding crisis of human-caused environmental change and phenomena such as armed conflict, violent extremism, migration, poverty, resource scarcity, political instability, economic prosperity, energy security, and community resilience, requiring interdisciplinary and multi-method analysis and policy development. Climate-related security challenges encompass changes in the international and domestic threat environments, the need to decarbonize defence and national security activities, and tensions among competing security priorities, electoral politics, and a range of social movements. Climate-related hazards will increase in coming years, making it vital to identify and support emerging leaders in the field of climate change and security, and to foster connections between scholars, analysts, and practitioners committed to addressing these inter-related social, political, economic, and ecological challenges.”
Webinar - Using Wetlands to “Flatten the Hydrograph”
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Note: all event times are in eastern (EST/EDT)
We were so pleased to see a presentation featuring HydroGeoSphere at the recent Latornell Conservation Symposium (one of Ontario's premier annual environmental conferences). The presentation - titled “Using Wetlands to “Flatten the Hydrograph” - was delivered by representatives from Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), and focused on a recent collaboration between DUC, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Aquanty. At the center of the project is an advanced integrated hydrologic model (built with HydroGeoSphere) of the Dog Lake watershed in Northern Ontario. Dog Lake is but one small part of the hydrologic network which serves as the basis for OPG’s network of hydroelectric infrastructure, a vital part of Ontario’s economy.
OPG currently supports a complex network of 66 hydroelectric generating stations and 240 hydraulic dams over the course of 24 river systems. As climate change causes hydrologic conditions to drift further and further from the historic norms upon which this complex hydroelectric infrastructure was designed, the efficiency and continued viability of the network is put at greater and greater risk. In short, climate change is leading to lower flows in the river networks serving Ontario’s hydroelectric infrastructure. This leads us to the main research question for this study: can “wetlands hold the key to helping generate more electricity for Ontario residents by decreasing peak flows in the spring and increasing ground-water flows into the reservoirs during the summer”?
If you would like to read more about this study before the webinar, please read the following story on the DUC website:
DUC and Ontario Power Generation’s wetland modelling research project could spark change
Abstract:
Climate change is resulting in earlier snowmelt, heavier spring precipitation and drier summers which is causing lower than average summer water levels in Ontario Power Generation reservoirs. This has limited OPG’s capacity to generate sufficient electricity in mid summer when demand is high. Ducks Unlimited Canada is working in partnership with Ontario Power Generation to utilize sophisticated 3D hydrological modelling to explore the feasibility of utilizing wetlands as a nature based solution to enhance baseflows into large hydroelectric reservoirs.
About the presenters:
Michael Williams is the head of restoration and client services at Ducks Unlimited Canada. Mike is long time employee with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). He began his career in northern Alberta in 1990 as the Area Biologist for the Grande Prairie office and remained there until 1997 when family and a warmer climate pushed him eastward. Since relocating to Barrie, Mike has worked in various roles designing and implementing wetland habitat programs at the landscape level. Since 2016, Mike has been managing DUC’s environmental consulting branch and is responsible for providing cost effective, nature-based solutions for their Clients.
Dr. Pascal Badiou has been a research scientist with Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research (IWWR) since 2006. Prior to joining DUC Pascal worked as an aquatic scientist specializing in water quality and aquatic ecology for an environmental consulting firm in Winnipeg. In general, Pascal’s research interests focus on the ecology of wetlands and shallow lakes. He is particularly interested in how multiple stressors such as droughts, eutrophication, nonindigenous species and pesticides interact to affect the ability of wetlands to enhance water quality and regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Currently Dr. Badiou is working in a number of prairie watersheds where he and his team are examining the impacts of wetland management practices (drainage and restoration) on hydrology and water quality at large scales. Dr. Badiou has a B.Sc. in Environmental Science and a Ph.D. in Wetland Ecology from the University of Manitoba. He is an adjunct professor in the University of Manitoba’s departments of Biological Sciences and Soil Science.
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Webinar - Climate Change Impact Analysis using HydroGeoSphere
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Note: all event times are in eastern (EST/EDT)
Join us for a webinar focused on climate change impact analysis using HydroGeoSphere. As the relevant components of the global climate (e.g. temperature and precipitation patterns/intensity) drift further from historically reliable patterns, it becomes harder and harder to rely on these historical patterns as part of hydrologic studies. This is why HydroGeoSphere is an incredibly powerful tool for long-term climate change impact analyses of hydrologic systems.
As a physics-based simulation platform with a de-emphasis on the use of empirical relationships, HydroGeoSphere is an exceptionally powerful tool for modelling ‘unknowns’. These unknowns include regions with little to no observation data, but more importantly this physics-based approach is the most realistic and reliable way to simulate how water resources systems will react to future climatic conditions.
In this webinar Aquanty’s resident climate scientist Dr. Andre Erler will introduce key topics and considerations that should form the basis for all climate change impact analyses using HydroGeoSphere. Topics of discussion will include:
Introduction to climate modelling: International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Global Climate Models (GCMs), Regional Climate Models (RCMs)
Applying climate model output to HGS: bias-correction, data pre-processing, boundary condition conceptualization
Study design: scenario analysis, producing climate ensembles, addressing the signal-to-noise paradox in long-term climate predictions
Case study review: investigating climate change Impacts on surface water and groundwater interactions in the Grand River Watershed
Concluding remarks: summary and overview of the Canada1Water project - a blueprint for high-resolution climate change impact analysis across Canada
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Eager to learn more about HydroGeoSphere’s potential as a climate change impact analysis tool? Watch a webinar on our climate change impact analysis of the Athabasca River Basin!