Project II.3.1: Pre-development conditions
Project Title: II.3.1 Pre-development conditions
Project Lead: Modeling Team
Web: http://www.stccmop.org/modeling/scenarios
Project Description
This project attempts to characterize processes in the Columbia River as they existed before the development of dikes, jetties, navigation channels, and dams, through the development of a virtual Columbia River shaped and driven by historical data.
Fit in program
The predevelopment scenario establishes a baseline from which to evaluate change in Columbia River systems – primarily due to anthropogenic impacts.
Outcomes
The following historic conditions have been defined and incorporated into the simulation run, using db14 weeks 16 through 36 of 2004 as a baseline:
| Environmental Variable | Data Source | Short descriptor |
| Bathymetric Reconstruction | NOAA and PSU | Several data sources were compiled and used to infer the bathymetry and shoreline of the Columbia River circa 1880. |
| Pre-dam River Flows | PSU | This scenario imposes a 2100 CE sea-level increase of 30 cm (as predicted by the IPCC), on the standard control run. |
Several aspects of this scenario have been evaluated, including the physical characteristics of the plume, the maximum distances of salinity intrusion, and the relative availability of juvenile salmonid habitat (as defined by velocity, depth, temperature, and salinity).
Last updated May 2009
