Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
University of Northern British Columbia
$20,000.00
Impacts of wildfire on soil erosion and fine-grained sediment dynamics in forested aquatic systems
EF 2008-09
Résumé
Wildfire events have a significant and measurable impact on the sediment dynamics of forested catchments over wide spatial and temporal scales. This project will determine the response of sediment sources and evaluate sediment (mineral and organic) redistribution through aquatic systems due to wildfires in northern interior forest environments in Canada over contrasting spatial and temporal scales. A successful feasibility study in 2004 indicated that the sediment system in one of the study catchments to be investigated is responding to wildfire disturbance, as evidenced by changing sediment sources and sediment fluxes following a wildfire. The present project will apply a suite of integrated techniques to link contemporary responses to long term recovery from wildfire disturbance. Specifically, a field sampling and laboratory programme will be undertaken comprising three interlinked parts: (a) measurement and sampling on a hillslope unit before and after a prescribed (i.e. induced) burn, (b) a paired-catchment comparative study (i.e. a naturally burnt catchment and a nearby unburnt catchment with similar characteristics) and (c) a palaeolimnological study exploring changes in deposited sediment properties in lake catchments with known fire histories. Work will be undertaken in study areas of contrasting spatial scale (hillslope to catchment) and fire history (present, recent, decades and centuries). The results of these will be utilised to understand the response of catchments to fire in order to link short-term process knowledge with longer term data on sedimentary processes, in order to provide tools for investigating scenarios of potential impacts of burning in forests.
It is envisaged that the findings of this work will have worldwide interest and relevance, and will enable environmental scientists to examine how forested river systems respond to wildfire events. In addition, the findings will provide valuable information for the present and future management of forest systems.
Programme
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Bénéficiaire
Emplacement
British Columbia, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
341995-2007
Name nom
Owens, Philip
Department département
Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Fac. of
Organization id
3
Institution établissement
University of Northern British Columbia
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2008
Competition year année de concours
2007
Award amount
20000
Program id
RGPIN
Program nane en
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Program name fr
Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
9
Committee name en
Environmental Earth Sciences
Committee name fr
Sc. de la Terre : environ.
Area of application code
400
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Environment
Area of application fr
Environnement
Research subject code
4150
Research subject group en
Physical geography
Research subject group fr
Géographie physique
Research subject en
Physical geography
Research subject fr
Géographie physique
Partie
2
Nb partie
5
Application title
Impacts of wildfire on soil erosion and fine-grained sediment dynamics in forested aquatic systems
Keyword
NA
Application summary
Wildfire events have a significant and measurable impact on the sediment dynamics of forested catchments over wide spatial and temporal scales. This project will determine the response of sediment sources and evaluate sediment (mineral and organic) redistribution through aquatic systems due to wildfires in northern interior forest environments in Canada over contrasting spatial and temporal scales. A successful feasibility study in 2004 indicated that the sediment system in one of the study catchments to be investigated is responding to wildfire disturbance, as evidenced by changing sediment sources and sediment fluxes following a wildfire. The present project will apply a suite of integrated techniques to link contemporary responses to long term recovery from wildfire disturbance. Specifically, a field sampling and laboratory programme will be undertaken comprising three interlinked parts: (a) measurement and sampling on a hillslope unit before and after a prescribed (i.e. induced) burn, (b) a paired-catchment comparative study (i.e. a naturally burnt catchment and a nearby unburnt catchment with similar characteristics) and (c) a palaeolimnological study exploring changes in deposited sediment properties in lake catchments with known fire histories. Work will be undertaken in study areas of contrasting spatial scale (hillslope to catchment) and fire history (present, recent, decades and centuries). The results of these will be utilised to understand the response of catchments to fire in order to link short-term process knowledge with longer term data on sedimentary processes, in order to provide tools for investigating scenarios of potential impacts of burning in forests.
It is envisaged that the findings of this work will have worldwide interest and relevance, and will enable environmental scientists to examine how forested river systems respond to wildfire events. In addition, the findings will provide valuable information for the present and future management of forest systems.
