Multi-scale water balance analysis of a thawing boreal peatland complex near the southern permafrost limit in northwestern Canada

Abstract. Permafrost thaw profoundly changes landscapes in the Arctic-boreal region, affecting ecosystem composition, structure, function and services and their hydrological controls. The water balance provides insights into water movement and distribution within a specific area and thus helps understand how different components of the hydrological cycle interact with each other. However, the water balance of small- (<101 km²) and meso-scale basins (101–103 km²) in thawing landscapes remains poorly understood. Here, we conducted an observational study in three small-scale basins (0.1–0.3 km²) of a thawing boreal peatland complex. The three small-scale basins were situated in the Scotty Creek basin headwater portion, a meso-scale low-relief basin (drainage area estimates from 130 to 202 km²) near the southern permafrost limit in the Taiga Plains ecozone in western Canada. By measuring wat…