The initial three years of carbon dioxide exchange between the atmosphere and a reclaimed oil sand wetland

Clark, M. Graham; Humphreys, Elyn; Carey, Sean K.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2019.05.016

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other effects related to long‐term exposure to nonuniform water tables at SHF include (a) development of distinct vegetation assemblages between deep, intermediate, and low water table zones (Vitt et al, ) and (b) marked net nitrification rate and net ecosystem exchange differences between water‐saturated and unsaturated soils (cf. Hartsock et al, and Clark, Humphreys, & Carey, , respectively). Of note, in areas exhibiting especially deep water or water table position below the soil surface, plant communities at the reclamation site are quite dissimilar from all reference peatlands monitored in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Nutrient supply patterns across the Sandhill Fen reclamation watershed and regional reference fens in Alberta, Canada: An ion exchange membrane study

Hartsock

Bremer²,

Vitt

2020

Ecohydrology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Using Plant Root Simulator (PRS®) probes, we evaluate nutrient supply rates at the Sandhill Fen reclamation watershed across a gradient of increasing water table position and compare observations with three reference fens (a poor, moderate‐rich, and saline fen). Our objectives were threefold: (a) determine the behavior of PRS probes across multiple peatland classes, (b) determine which type of peatland Sandhill Fen is most analogous to in terms of nutrient supply patterns and site chemistry, and (c) attempt to provide a repeatable approach for assessing nutrient supply in peatlands. In terms of porewater chemistry, conditions at Sandhill Fen were quite unique, yet, most comparable to the saline fen. Consistent with porewater analysis, PRS probes had low nitrate supply at all sites, high calcium and magnesium supply at all sites (except the poor fen), and much higher sulfur supply at Sandhill Fen. Site differences in PRS probe measurements were smaller for 20‐ than 2‐day burial periods due to displacement of less strongly held elements (e.g., potassium) on ion exchange membranes. Because long‐term incubations may underrepresent supply rates for weakly held ions due to displacement by divalent ions, we recommend that reclamation assessments over a wide range of fen types should use a relatively short burial period of 1 to 3 days. With few exceptions (sulfate and iron), nutrient supply patterns at Sandhill Fen were quite comparable to the reference fens. For future wetland reclamation performance assessments in the AOSR, PRS probes could serve an important role for evaluating belowground functional components.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Nutrient supply patterns across the Sandhill Fen reclamation watershed and regional reference fens in Alberta, Canada: An ion exchange membrane study

Hartsock

Bremer²,

Vitt

2020

Ecohydrology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The collars were made of SDR35 12" PVC sewer pipe with a groove cut into the top edge where an acrylic chamber was placed during measurement. The chambers were constructed of acrylic and were covered in opaque black plastic to reduce heating within the chamber and eliminate photosynthetic uptake of CO 2 for a respiration analysis discussed by Clark et al (2019). A seal between the chamber and collar was made by filling the groove with water.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Details of the SFW construction were described by Wytrykush et al (2012) and others (Biagi et al, 2019;Nicholls et al, 2016;Oswald and Carey, 2016;Vitt et al, 2016). Clark et al (2019) described the three main topographic features of the SFW as a lowland region (the wetland), a midland region (drained but moist organic soils), and an upland region lying 2 to 6 m above the wetland with well-drained sandy soils and two experimental perched wetland sites with moist organic soils ( Fig. 1).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, Rooney et al (2012) predicted that an insufficient proportion of the disturbed area will be replaced with the C sequestration capacity of the original boreal wetlands. However, wetland reclamation in the region is still quite novel, and little is known about the surface-atmosphere exchange of C in these newly engineered wetlands (Nwaishi et al, 2015;Clark et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A research gap exists, however, between the modelled predictions of C cycling by Rooney et al (2012) and the actual C cycling of constructed wetlands. Clark et al (2019) discussed the increasing CO 2 sink strength over the first 3 years of one of these wetlands but did not address emissions of CH 4 , which can contribute substantially towards the long-term C balance of some ecosystems (Vasander and Kettunen, 2006). The aim of this study is to evaluate CH 4 emissions from this constructed ecosystem and identify the factors which influence their temporal and spatial variability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Low methane emissions from a boreal wetland constructed on oil sand mine tailings

2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. A 58 ha mixed upland and lowland boreal plains watershed called the Sandhill Fen Watershed was constructed between 2008 and 2012. In the years following wetting in 2013, methane emissions were measured using manual chambers. The presence of vegetation with aerenchymous tissues and saturated soils were important factors influencing the spatial variability of methane emissions across the constructed watershed. Nevertheless, median methane emissions were equal to or less than 0.51 mg CH4 m−2 h−1 even from the saturated organic soils in the lowlands. Although overall methane emissions remained low, observations of methane ebullition increased over the 3 study years. Ebullition events occurred in 10 % of measurements in 2013, increasing to 21 % and 27 % of measurements in 2014 and 2015, respectively, at the plots with saturated soils. Increasing metal ion availability and decreasing sulfur availability was measured using buried ion exchange resins at both seasonal and annual timescales potentially as a result of microbial reduction of these ions. Using principle component analysis, methane fluxes had a significant positive correlation to the leading principle component which was associated with increasing ammonium, iron, and manganese and decreasing sulfur availability (r=0.31, p<0.001). These results suggest that an abundance of alternative inorganic electron acceptors may be limiting methanogenesis at this time.

show abstract

Establishing peat‐forming plant communities: A comparison of wetland reclamation methods in Alberta's oil sands region

Borkenhagen,

Cooper,

House

et al. 2023

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Sandhill Wetland (SW) and Nikanotee Fen (NF) are two wetland research projects designed to test the viability of peatland reclamation in the Alberta oil sands post‐mining landscape. To identify effective approaches for establishing peat‐forming vegetation in reclaimed wetlands, we evaluated how plant introduction approaches and water level gradients influence species distribution, plant community development, and the establishment of bryophyte and peatland species richness and cover. Plant introduction approaches included seeding with a Carex aquatilis‐dominated seed mix, planting C. aquatilis and Juncus balticus seedlings, and spreading a harvested moss layer transfer. Establishment was assessed 6 years after the introduction at SW and 5 years after the introduction at NF. In total, 51 species were introduced to the reclaimed wetlands, and 122 species were observed after 5 and 6 years. The most abundant species in both reclaimed wetlands was C. aquatilis, which produced dense canopies and occupied the largest water level range of observed plants. Introducing C. aquatilis also helped to exclude marsh plants such as Typha latifolia that has little to no peat accumulation potential. Juncus balticus persisted where the water table was lower and encouraged the formation of a diverse peatland community and facilitated bryophyte establishment. Various bryophytes colonized suitable areas, but the moss layer transfer increased the cover of desirable peat‐forming mosses. Communities with the highest bryophyte and peatland species richness and cover (averaging 9 and 14 species, and 50%–160% cover respectively) occurred where the summer water level was between −10 and −40 cm. Outside this water level range, a marsh community of Typha latifolia dominated in standing water and a wet meadow upland community of Calamagrostis canadensis and woody species established where the water table was deeper. Overall, the two wetland reclamation projects demonstrated that establishing peat‐forming vascular plants and bryophytes is possible, and community formation is dependent upon water level and plant introduction approaches. Future projects should aim to create microtopography with water tables within 40 cm of the surface and introduce vascular plants such as J. balticus that facilitate bryophyte establishment and support the development of a diverse peatland plant community.

show abstract

The initial three years of carbon dioxide exchange between the atmosphere and a reclaimed oil sand wetland

Cited by 13 publications

References 40 publications

Nutrient supply patterns across the Sandhill Fen reclamation watershed and regional reference fens in Alberta, Canada: An ion exchange membrane study

Nutrient supply patterns across the Sandhill Fen reclamation watershed and regional reference fens in Alberta, Canada: An ion exchange membrane study

Low methane emissions from a boreal wetland constructed on oil sand mine tailings

Establishing peat‐forming plant communities: A comparison of wetland reclamation methods in Alberta's oil sands region

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About