Fen creation in the post oil sands landscape: Phase 2

后油砂景观中的沼泽地形成：第二阶段

• 批准号: 523334-2018
• 负责人: Price, Jonathan
• 金额: $ 14.72万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=662616
• 关键词: Fen; creation; post; oil; sands

In Northern Alberta, where oil sands are extracted, open pit mining covers an area of ~895 km2, and peat dominated wetlands fed by groundwater, mostly fens, cover about half of this area. Industry is required to return the landscape to equivalent functionality. This means that functioning wetlands must be returned to the landscape as part of their landscape reclamation effort. An experimental fen system was constructed, along with the entire watershed that is required to generate groundwater flows that sustain an appropriate level wetness in the fen peatland. This system, the Nikanotee Fen Watershed, was constructed of overburden stripped to access the oil sands, and processed materials including tailings sands and petroleum coke, with construction completed in January 2013. The goal was to construct a self-sustaining ecosystem that accumulates peat, is capable of supporting a representative assemblage of plant species, and is resilient to normal periodic stresses such as those associated with climate variability. The system was designed and constructed using the best knowledge available at the time. Our initial assessment (2013-2017) showed the system remained wet under moderately dry conditions, was carbon accumulating, and had plants that included those found in nearby natural systems. It also showed the system was undergoing rapid change as soils and vegetation developed. The focus of this proposal is to evaluate the nature and extent of those changes, and use them to predict how the system will function in the future. For this we will continue to study how this system functions, and how this compares to nearby natural sites To predict future behaviour we will develop mathematical models, which must be constrained with parameters measured in the field. We will also use models to refine designs that can function with more efficient use of material and resources, as well as recommend where and how to place these wetlands in the final closure landscape, after a mine lease is completed.****

在油砂开采地阿尔伯塔省北部，露天采矿面积约 895 平方公里，由地下水（主要是沼泽地）供给的泥炭为主的湿地覆盖了该面积的约一半。工业界需要将景观恢复到同等功能。这意味着功能正常的湿地必须回归景观，作为景观复垦工作的一部分。建造了一个实验性沼泽系统，以及产生地下水流所需的整个流域，以维持沼泽泥炭地适当的湿度。该系统称为 Nikanotee Fen 流域，由剥离的覆盖层建造而成，可获取油砂以及包括尾矿砂和石油焦在内的加工材料，施工于 2013 年 1 月完成。目标是建立一个自我维持的生态系统，积累泥炭，能够支持代表性的植物物种组合，并能够抵御正常的周期性压力，例如与气候变化相关的压力。该系统是利用当时可用的最佳知识来设计和构建的。我们的初步评估（2013-2017）显示，该系统在适度干燥的条件下保持湿润，正在积累碳，并且拥有包括在附近自然系统中发现的植物。它还表明，随着土壤和植被的发展，该系统正在经历快速变化。该提案的重点是评估这些变化的性质和程度，并利用它们来预测系统未来将如何运作。为此，我们将继续研究该系统如何运作，以及与附近的自然地点相比如何。为了预测未来的行为，我们将开发数学模型，该模型必须受到现场测量参数的约束。我们还将使用模型来完善设计，以便更有效地利用材料和资源，并建议在矿山租约完成后将这些湿地放置在最终关闭景观中的位置和方式。****