Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Natural and industrial stress is expected to have a pronounced impact on ecosystems in the boreal plain of Western Canada (WBP) but it is not clear how this will affect the cycling and storage of water and carbon in these environments. Boreal wetland pond complexes that comprise the mosaic of this region are sustained by hydrologic connectivity with upland areas. Fluctuations in hydrologic connectivity have implications for carbon cycling in the ponds and peatlands as well as pond permanence and peatland succession. Ongoing research in this area shows that on a regional scale, the potential evapotranspiration regularly exceeds precipitation inputs and hydrological connectivity between landscape units is the key determinant to pond and riparian peatland functioning and sustainability. Thus, in this research program, hydrological, biogeochemical and micrometeorological measurements will be made simultaneously at a range of scales, providing a fuller understanding of the hydrological and biogeochemical pathways, and interactions, among different landscape units. The objective of this research is to examine the synergy of wetland hydrology and ecosystem dynamics in a range of wetland pond complexes in the WBP. The innovations of this research are: (1) ecosystem scale coupling of hydrological, meteorological and ecological process studies; (2) quantifying the overall carbon exchange from this region; (3) identifying the main feedbacks associated with hydroclimatic cycles and carbon exchange; and (4) establishing the linkages between wetland-pond carbon sustainability and catchment hydrology. This will provide a necessary improvement to the modelling of such boreal wetland systems serving as a valuable management tool for conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited and the oil and gas, and forest industries.