Hydrogeology field research in northern peatlands

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The Northern Research Supplement proposal is to fund an innovative field research program studying the hydrogeology of peatlands in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, including their interaction with regional groundwater flow and discontinuous permafrost. The proposed research, based out of Churchill, Manitoba, will include fieldwork to measure temperature distributions, peat hydraulic properties, and hydraulic head. The collected field data will be used to study fundamental hydrogeologic processes within the peatlands, such as the influence of regional groundwater on peatland hydraulics, and to provide data for numerical groundwater models. The research will highlight a new groundwater-flow/ heat-transport model that incorporates freeze-thaw processes, named SUTRA-ICE. The research will provide a better understanding of the hydrogeology of northern peatlands and how these delicate ecosystems will respond to ongoing climate warming. The project is feasible, and will be beneficial to Canadian and Northern peoples. The majority of the requested funds are for high costs associated with Northern transportation. The proposal will help train highly qualified persons, including support for graduate student fieldwork and undergraduate field assistants. There is potential to establish links with northern researchers and research centers, such as the Churchill Northern Research Centre.