Author Results: K. Hafen

Back

To What Extent Might Beaver Dam Building Buffer Water Storage Losses Associated with a Declining Snowpack?

This thesis provides a Beaver Dam Surface Water Estimation Algorithm, a model that takes observation data of 500 beaver dams to quantify the distribution of dam sizes, then using that data to develop a model for predicting water storage. While the water storage provided by beaver dams is only a small fraction of expected snow water equivalent loss, it is not insubstantial and may prove beneficial for ecosystems where human-made reservoirs are not available to regulate hydrologic regimes.

Could beaver compete with a declining snowpack?

To estimate the extent to which beaver dam building activity could provide transient water storage with a decreased snowpack.