Collaborative Research: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of Groundwater-Carbon Coupling in Large Peat Basins and its Relation to Climate Change

合作研究：大型泥炭盆地地下水-碳耦合及其与气候变化关系的跨学科研究

• 批准号: 0628505
• 负责人: Lee Slater
• 金额: $ 9.62万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-02-01 至 2012-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0628505&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Interdisciplinary; Investigation; Groundwater

Intellectual Merit: The growth of northern peatlands during the Holocene created a globally important source and sink for greenhouse gases. The response of these large carbon reservoirs to Global Warming, however, remains uncertain. Different mathematical models predict that future warming could alter the carbon balance of peatlands by either increasing the rate of carbon sequestration or accelerating the emissions of greenhouse gases. However, these steady-state analytical models make unrealistic assumptions about natural peatlands, which are spatially and temporally variable ecosystems that are still accumulating carbon. This investigation will therefore develop a transient 3D numerical model that couples multiphase groundwater flow to solute transport, organic matter reactivity, and peat accumulation. The need for such a model is supported by our investigations in large peat basins over the past 25 years that demonstrate the close linkages among climate, groundwater, landscape, and peatland carbon fluxes. This new transient groundwater-peat accumulation model will be calibrated by multiple sets of field, lab, and remote sensing data collected at a range of scales. A sensitivity analysis of this calibrated model should then provide reliable predictions for the response of large peat basins to climate change at the regional level.This approach can best be tested in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands (GLAP) of northern Minnesota where a regional peat basin developed despite the relatively dry climate and periodic droughts. Recent advances in remote sensing, field instrumentation, geophysical exploration, and computational modeling will be used to develop and calibrate a transient coupled groundwater-peat accumulation model for the GLAP region. This interdisciplinary investigation will focus on several important problems including carbon cycling in the deeper peat and the hydraulics of a deformable media. This study will also determine if methane fluxes from large peatlands are dominated by ebullition (i.e., bubbling) from deep overpressured gas pockets representing a globally important and previously unaccounted for source of atmospheric methane. In addition, this investigation will evaluate whether the configuration of the regional river system amplifies the effects of climate change on peatland ecosystems.Broader Impacts: The broader impacts of this study will be extended by 1) training graduate and undergraduate students in a large interdisciplinary investigation, 2) providing outreach to K-12 schools and the general public, 3) developing 3D computer visualization exhibits for state parks and other interpretive centers, and 4) linking our research results to regional and national educational programs organized by Morin. The visualization exhibits will be specifically designed for a new $1.6 million interpretive center at the Big Bog Recreational Area, which was recently established by the State of Minnesota adjacent to our field area. This exhibit will link results from our field measurements to the role of peatlands in the global carbon cycle for the general public. It will continue the long tradition of close cooperation between the GLAP research group and the officials that manage public land in northern Minnesota and elsewhere.

知识分子的优点：全新世期间北部泥炭地的生长创造了全球重要的温室气体。然而，这些大碳储层对全球变暖的反应仍然不确定。不同的数学模型预测，未来的变暖可以通过提高碳固换速率或加速温室气体的排放来改变泥炭地的碳平衡。但是，这些稳态的分析模型对天然泥炭地做出了不切实际的假设，它们在空间和时间上可变的生态系统仍在积累碳。因此，这项研究将开发出瞬态3D数值模型，该模型将多相地下水流动以溶解运输，有机物反应性和泥炭积累。在过去的25年中，我们对大型泥炭盆地的调查支持了对这种模型的需求，这些调查表明了气候，地下水，景观和泥炭地碳通量之间的密切联系。这个新的瞬态地下水 - 水上蓄积模型将通过在一系列尺度范围内收集的多组场，实验室和遥感数据来校准。然后，对该校准模型的敏感性分析应为大型泥炭盆地在区域水平上对气候变化的响应提供可靠的预测。最好在明尼苏达州北部的冰川湖山地山脉（GLAP）中测试这种方法，尽管有相对干燥的气候和周期性的干旱和周期性的干旱和周期性的干旱，但区域泥炭盆地的冰川山顶盆地（GLAP）。遥感，现场仪器，地球物理探索和计算建模的最新进展将用于开发和校准玻璃区域的瞬态耦合地下水 - 水平积累模型。这项跨学科的研究将集中在几个重要问题上，包括在更深的泥炭中碳循环以及可变形培养基的液压。这项研究还将确定来自大泥炭地的甲烷通量是否由深层过压气袋的戒断（即冒泡）主导，代表了全球重要且以前未被计算的大气甲烷来源。此外，这项调查还将评估区域河流系统的配置是否会放大气候变化对泥炭地生态系统的影响。Broader的影响：这项研究的更广泛的影响将通过1）培训研究生和本科生在大型跨学科研究中培训研究生和本科生，并向其他班级播放，2）探索k-12的探讨，3d）在3d compublice Publice，3d）展览，3d），3d） 4）将我们的研究结果与莫林组织的区域和国家教育计划联系起来。可视化展品将专门为在大沼泽娱乐区的新的160万美元解释中心设计，该地区最近是由明尼苏达州建立的，与我们的现场区域相邻。该展览将将我们的现场测量结果与泥炭地在全球碳周期中的作用联系起来。它将延续景观研究小组与管理明尼苏达州北部和其他地方的公共土地的官员之间的密切合作的悠久传统。