Canadian Prairie Watershed Classification

Shapefile detailing classified prairie watersheds (n = 4175) according to physiographic characteristics. These characteristics were assembled from a variety of sources, including remote sensed data and government databases. Variables included climatic (annual precipitation, potential evapotranspiration), physical (slope, elevation), surficial geology, wetland (density, size distribution), and land cover/use data. Watersheds were classified using a hierarchical clustering on principal components analysis. As a result, seven distinct classes of watersheds were identified. The dataset defines two classifications schemes: (1) Integrated Watershed Classification, and (2) Land Cover Watershed Classification. The schemes differ as the latter was performed without climatic variables. As such, the land cover approach is suited for applications where local climate is forced using other data sources (e.g., hydrological modelling). The integrated classification is suited for general applications. The associated manuscript, which includes methods and data sources, can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3945-2019