Risk-based Assessment of the Sustainability of Reclamation Strategy (Completed)

To establish the maximum annual moisture deficit for different ecosites, the factors affecting the timing and magnitude of water balance components, particularly evapotranspiration, must be determined. This hydrological information can then be used to calibrate and test the system dynamics watershed (SDW) model (Elshorbagy et al., 2005), which upon validation is driven by long0term climate data to generate the frequency curves for assessing the probability of cover failure. However, the likelihood of cover failure will vary based upon cover design, vegetation species and age. Therefore, it is necessary to examine different covers at discrete stages of development and natural sites for a complete assessment of restoration strategies.