Quest for understanding wetland carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus sequestration potential in agricultural landscapes

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Wetlands in the agricultural areas of Canada are increasingly vulnerable to loss due to urban and agricultural expansion and alteration due to climate change. Corresponding to this loss is the loss of ecological function - particularly the loss of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus sequestration. This biogeochemical loss has negative and potentially serious, implications for the integrity of downstream water quality, as seen in the recurrence of extensive algal blooms in Lake Winnipeg and Lake Erie. Policy and management practices seek to protect water quality and reverse the problem of downstream nutrient pollution, but the current technical understanding of the hydrological and biogeochemical processes that govern sequestration in wetlands and nutrient transport in watersheds is inadequate, and without the requisite scientific knowledge, may compromise or impair these efforts. To date, no research program has attempted to consolidate efforts to improve this understanding across national and multi-institutional levels. This research project will address this shortcoming by connecting leading research institutions, government, and operational partners in a collaborative program sharing expertise and monitoring efforts to answer focused questions relating to agricultural wetlands and their ability to sequester carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus and improve the integrity of downstream waters. Monitoring and research efforts will focus on vulnerable agricultural landscapes in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. The knowledge gained from this program will improve the ability to predict sequestration potential and downstream algal blooms at local and regional scales under different management and climate change scenarios. This will give governments and management authorities (in Canada and worldwide) the tools required to tailor wetland and carbon policy instruments to meet their nutrient reduction/sequestration targets. This research project addresses the NSERC target area of Environment and Agriculture and three of the six listed research topics under this target area: (1) Water: Health, Energy, Security; (2) Food and Food Systems; and (3) Climate Change Research and Technology.