Beyond peatlands: the role of Canada's tidal and prairie wetlands in climate change mitigation and adaptation

超越泥炭地：加拿大潮汐和草原湿地在减缓和适应气候变化中的作用

• 批准号: 555468-2020
• 负责人: Knox, SaraSH
• 金额: $ 7.29万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=754739
• 关键词: Beyond; peatlands; role; Canada; tidal

Among the numerous ecosystem services provided by wetlands, climate regulation is identified as one of their most important benefits to society. Wetland ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle; they provide the ideal environment for long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide, yet they are also the largest single source of methane emissions. Climate change has the potential to increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wetlands, however, the consequences of rising temperatures on wetland GHG exchange remains uncertain. Furthermore, preventing further wetland loss and restoring wetland ecosystems has been identified by researchers and governments, including the Government of Canada, as important in limiting future emissions to help meet climate goals. With growing interest in wetland management and restoration as a Natural Climate Solution, improved estimates of wetland carbon sequestration and GHG fluxes across Canadian wetland types are strongly needed. The objective of this partnership is therefore to contribute to an improved understanding of the response of wetland carbon dynamics to management and climate change in key wetland types across Canada. Here we focus on wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of western Canada and tidal wetlands along the Pacific Coast since these ecosystems are understudied relative to other wetland types in Canada, yet they play important roles in carbon cycling and climate regulation. Specifically, this study leverages existing funding and infrastructure to investigate carbon and GHG dynamics across four wetland sites, with the aims of measuring and modeling GHG fluxes in prairie wetlands in Manitoba and in tidal marshes of the Pacific Coast. By combining field-based measurements, remote sensing, and modelling, this research will provide new insights into the controls on wetland GHG dynamics, and quantify the potential climate benefits of wetland management and conservation. This research is key to better predicting wetland feedbacks to climate change, which in turn will directly help inform regional and national climate mitigation strategies and related policy development.

在湿地提供的众多生态系统服务中，气候法规被确定为对社会最重要的好处之一。湿地生态系统在全球碳循环中起着重要作用。它们为长期存储大气二氧化碳提供了理想的环境，但它们也是甲烷排放的最大单一来源。气候变化有可能增加湿地的温室气体（GHG）排放，但是，湿地温室气体交换中温度升高的后果仍然不确定。此外，在包括加拿大政府在内的研究人员和政府确定了防止进一步的湿地损失和恢复湿地生态系统，这对于限制未来的排放以帮助实现气候目标的重要性很重要。 随着对湿地管理和恢复作为天然气候解决方案的兴趣，强烈需要对湿地碳固存和温室气通量的估计进行了改善。因此，这种伙伴关系的目的是有助于改善对加拿大主要湿地类型的湿地碳动态对管理和气候变化的反应的理解。在这里，我们关注加拿大西部草原坑洼地区和太平洋沿岸潮汐湿地的湿地，因为这些生态系统相对于加拿大的其他湿地类型研究了，但它们在碳循环和气候调节中起着重要作用。具体而言，这项研究利用现有的资金和基础设施来研究跨四个湿地地点的碳和温室动力学，目的是在曼尼托巴省和太平洋海岸的潮汐沼泽中测量和建模Prairie Wetlands中的温室气通量。通过结合基于现场的测量，遥感和建模，这项研究将为湿地温室气体动态的控制提供新的见解，并量化湿地管理和保护的潜在气候益处。这项研究是更好地预测气候变化的湿地反馈的关键，这反过来又有助于为区域和国家气候缓解策略和相关政策制定提供信息。