Marmot Creek Research Basin

Purpose / Scientific Focus

Cryospheric Science  •  Forest Disturbance •  Mountain Runoff   •   forest snow processes

Marmot Creek is one of Canada's longest-running mountain hydrology observatories and the forested component of the CRHO. Established in the early 1960s, the site supports long-term research on forest snow processes, ecohydrology, and mountain runoff. Its observations have been instrumental in improving understanding of how forests influence snow accumulation, water supply, and watershed response to environmental change.

Canadian Rockies Hydrological Observatory

Marmot Creek is a part of CRHO, a comprehensive mountain observing system operated by the Centre for Hydrology. It integrates long-term observations of snow, glaciers, forests, wetlands, groundwater, streamflow, meteorology, and ecohydrological processes across the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies. Through a network of instrumented sites, CRHO supports research on mountain hydrology, climate variability, and ecosystem processes, with the goal of improving understanding and prediction of water resources in changing mountain environments.