Implications of the hydrogeomorphic setting of peatlands in Manitoba's southeastern and Interlake regions for peatland harvesting, restoration and climate change

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Peatlands represent over 14% of Canada's landmass by area and nearly 38% of Manitoba, by area. They are important components of the landscape as they provide flood protection and carbon storage. Peatlands exist because of a delicate balance of water sources (e.g., rain) and water losses (e.g., evaporation). In the drought prone prairies, peatlands have developed an important connection to local groundwater flow paths, providing a source of water to the peatlands in times of drought. These connections are controlled, in part, by the local hydrology (water), climate, and hydrogeology (bedrock), here called the hydrogeomorphic setting. Manitoba straddles the border between two distinct hydrogeomorphic settings (climate and bedrock) providing an excellent opportunity to study the role each plays. One location is in Manitoba's Interlake region, and the other in South Eastern Manitoba. Peat harvesting (for horticultural peat production) requires the drainage of the peatlands to facilitate harvesting. The drainage may act as a surrogate for climate change (prolonged droughts), or other land use changes that require drainage of the landscape, meaning that we can learn about the role that groundwater may play in a changing climate, as well as with other land use changes in different hydrogeomorphic settings. This study will examine how these distinct hydrogeomorphic settings influences peatland size and type, as well as compare natural peatlands to harvested peatlands to assess changes in groundwater flow paths (as a surrogate for climate or land use change). The groundwater flow reversals (i.e., supplying water to the peatland in times of drought) also have implications for the water balance and carbon budget. This research will provide great insight into how peatlands that are connected to groundwater flow paths (the majority of Western Canada's peatlands) may respond to a changing climate, something of great importance to Canada and Canada's carbon budget. The highly qualified personal trained in the proposed research program will also be of great benefit to Canada and they will have learned to apply theoretical knowledge to practical problems.