CLIMATIC AND GEOMORPHIC TECHNIQUES AND THEIR APPLICATION TO REGIONAL RESOURCE PLANNING ^7 THOMAS WILLIAM LONEY REPORT ON A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN LIEU OP A THESIS IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in the Department of COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING We accept this report as conforming to the standard required from candidates for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Members of the Department of Community and Regional Planning THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1958. i ABSTRACT The human race exists and progresses by virtue of a sum of knowledge, with which it is able to maintain a measure of control over the physical world. The real wealth of any region, race or nation is drawn from the land and today much of this land is bankrupt. Through overpopulation and misuse of his natural resources, man is rapidly backing himself into an ecological trap. The solution to this problem is to inc• rease what may be termed the "carrying capacity" of the land. The only way this may be done Is by national land use planning and development of resources on a regional basis. In developing land for any purpose, man faces certain physical limitations. The two most obvious and important are climate and land forms. Throughout history these fields have been studied and today are large and complex branches of science - they have remained, however, largely separate fields. Only very recently have some advances been made in the field of climatic geomorphology. The investigators in this field have tried to show some of the complex interrelat• ionships that exist between climate and geomorphology. Unfor• tunately, although it shows great promise, most work to date has been on a highly academic level and its practical applic• ation has been piecemeal at best. This thesis is a modest attempt to define, on one hand, some fundamental interrelat• ionships between climatology and geomorphology and then, on the other hand, to apply these defined principles to selected types of resource development regions. In this presentation, it is recognized that other factors, economic, political, administrative, technological, etc. may be equally, if not more important, in determining the patterns and nature of regional resource development; these factors, however, are only referred to in passing. The overall presentation is as follows: firstly, the need for regional resource planning is discussed in the light of pertinent physical factors. This is followed by two chapters which present an introduction into climatology and land forms. In these chapters the basic concepts and terms of these fields are explained and provide the essential background for the discussion to follow. To conclude the discussion of the physical elements, the two fields are inter• related and fundamental principles applicable to regional resource development, are developed. In the next section of the paper these principles are applied to selected types of resource development regions. In this connection, two major areas of development are examined as "case studies". These areas include: (1) the Kitimat-Kemano region as an example of the development of one resource; (2) the Lower Mainland region as an example of complex resource development which is Influe• nced by a large urban area. Finally, the general applications of climatic and geomorphic principles to regional resource development which emerge from the examination of the two case studies are discussed. In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representative. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of Community and Regional Planning The University of British Columbia, Vancouver 8, Canada. Date May 9th 1958 iii PREFACE The Eleventh Commandment Thou shalt inherit the Holy Earth as a faithful steward, conserving Its resources and productivity from generation to generation. Thou shalt safeguard thy fields from soil erosion; thy living waters from drying up; thy forests from desolation; and protect thy hills from overgrazing by thy herds, that thy descend• ants may have abundance forever. If any shall fail in this stewardship of the land, thy fruitful fields shall become sterile, strong ground and wasting gullies, and thy descendants shall derrease and live in poverty or perish from off the face of the earth. - 14-th British Columbia Natural Resources Conference, 19!?1. •» «• •» The writer would like to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. J.W. Wilson, Director, Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board, Professor J.F. Muir, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, and Dr. J.L. Robinson, Head of the Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, to whom the writer owes his geographic background. Special thanks are due to Professor I.M. Robinson of the Department of Community and Regional Planning for his assistance and criticism during the preparation of this paper. iv TABLE OP CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii INTRODUCTION - THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL FACTORS IN REGIONAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT The Need for Regional Resource Development 1 and Planning The Physical Setting llj. Purposes of Study 17 Data Used in Study 18 PART ONE - THE PHYSICAL ELEMENTS: CLIMATE AND LANDFO RMS Chapter I - Climatology 20 Climatic Elements and Controls 21 Climatic Variability , 26 Present Trends and Shortcomings 29 in Climatology Application of Principles 3i\. Chapter II - Geomorphology 37 Basic Concepts 37 Present Trends \\2 Application of Principles i|4 Three Essential Tools ij.7 Topographic Maps I4.7 Aerial Photographs 50 Land Classification 5l Chapter III - Climatology and Geomorphology: 55 Interrelationships and Fundamental Principles Applicable to Regional Resource Planning Introduction 55 Climatic Classification 55 Microclimates 62 Climatic Maps 61| Morphogenetic Regions 65 Principles and Areas of Study 67 PART TWO - APPLICATIONS OF PRINCIPLES TO SELECTED TYPES OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT REGIONS Chapter IV - Introduction: Resources and their 73 Development V Chapter V - Kitimat-Kemano Region 79 Introduction 79 Location and Description 80 Economic and Geographic Considerations 83 Physical Geographic Background 86 Climatology 86 Geomorphology 91 Vegetation and Soil 96 Influence of Physical Factors 99 upon Planning Considerations Regional Considerations 100 Townsite Planning 110 Chapter VI - The Lower Mainland Region 123 . Introduction 123 Physical Geographic Background 125 Climatology 125 Geomorphology 129 Soils and Vegetation 132. Influence of Physical Factors 135 upon Planning Considerations Regional Considerations 135 Urban Considerations li|i. Planning and the "Rural-Urban ll+5 Conflict" Lower Mainland Regional Planning l5l Board Chapter VII - Conclusions 162 Introduction 162 Conclusions 165 APPENDECES 176 BIBLIOGRAPHY 188 vi LIST OP FIGURES Page Figure 1 Unused Capacity for Forest 11 Production Figure 2 Unused Capacity for Agricultural 12 Production Figure 3 Comparative Monthly Temperature 23 in Continental and Marine Situations Figure k Accumulated Sums of Departures, An• 30 nual Precipitation, Dodge City, Kansas Figure 5> Schematic Representation of the 71 Interrelationships between Climatic, Vegetation, and Soil Types Figure 6 Morphogenetic Regions 72 Figure 7 Technology Brings New Materials 75 to the Fore Figure 8 Regional Setting of "Case Studies" 81 Figure 9 Kitimat-Kemano Development 82 Figure 10 Sketch of Kemano Development Qk QP Ir. packet- Figure 11 Kitimat - General Layout Plan 7 <- «,fc e.r,«L Figure 12 City of Vancouver, Rainfall Freque• ncy Intensity Curves Figure 13 Climatic Factors in Building Design 117 Figure Ik Lower Mainland Region 12li Figure 15 Climograph of Temperature and 126 Precipitation, Lower Mainland Region vii LIST OP TABLES Page Table 1 Monthly Precipitation Average 119 for 13 Complete Years, Covering 1902-7, 1931-IJ-3 Table 2 Monthly Mean Temperatures 120 Table 3 Monthly Precipitation and 121 Altitude of Station Table k Monthly Extremes of Temp• 122 erature, and Absolute Maximum and Minimum viii LIST OF APPENDECES Page Appendix A Specific Elements of Climate 176 Relating to Regional Resource Planning Appendix B Elements of Aerial Photo 178 Interpretation Appendix C Effects Produced by Various 182 Geomorphic Agents Appendix D Thornthwaite1s Classification 183 of Climate - Appendix E Man as a Geological Agent l8£ INTRODUCTION THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL FACTORS IN REGIONAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT "There are two sets of ruins: one is the -work of Time, the other of Men". - Chateaubriand The Need for Regional Resource Development and Planning Throughout his short, intense history man has fought a never-ending battle with nature. Events of the late 19th Century and the first half of the 20th Century seem to indicate man has been successful in many ways; he has tamed rivers, conquered the air, explored the earth, changed its climate - indeed, what can the future possibly hold for him but an ever-broadening road towards a "super civilization"? Today man stands at the crossroads. He has begun to realize that to defeat nature is a reversible process. Even as man removes the forest to plant wheat today, he sets the stage for the floods tomorrow, as he builds his cities on the fertile plains he moves the source of his bread further away from him. Man is becoming aware of the limits of his earth. No longer is a community or country immune to the influences of the rest of the world. Perhaps the only thing linking all men is the future - the physical, social, and economic forces at work in the world today are the expression of the unfilled desires and needs of the rapidly Increasing population of the earth for the essentials of life. Conflict between men is not the result of political ideologies alone. The strength 2 of any political system will be a direct result of its ab• ility (or lack of it) to keep its people from want.