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, Sara
• 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: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=722678
• 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，气候调节被认为是湿地对社会最重要的效益之一。湿地生态系统在全球碳循环中发挥着重要作用；它们为长期储存大气中的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排放，然而，气温上升对湿地温室气体交换的影响仍不确定。此外，研究人员和包括加拿大政府在内的各国政府已经确定，防止进一步的湿地损失和恢复湿地生态系统对于限制未来的排放以帮助实现气候目标至关重要。随着人们对湿地管理和恢复作为一种自然气候解决方案的兴趣日益浓厚，迫切需要改进对加拿大湿地类型的湿地碳固存和温室气体通量的估计。因此，这一伙伴关系的目标是促进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响应的更好理解。本文以加拿大西部草原坑区湿地和太平洋沿岸潮汐湿地为研究对象，因为相对于加拿大其他湿地类型，这些生态系统的研究还不够充分，但它们在碳循环和气候调节中发挥着重要作用。具体来说，本研究利用现有的资金和基础设施来调查四个湿地地点的碳和温室气体动态，目的是测量和模拟马尼托巴草原湿地和太平洋海岸潮汐沼泽的温室气体通量。通过结合野外测量、遥感和建模，本研究将为湿地温室气体动态控制提供新的见解，并量化湿地管理和保护的潜在气候效益。该研究是更好地预测湿地对气候变化反馈的关键，进而将直接为区域和国家气候减缓战略和相关政策制定提供信息。