Aquatic greenhouse gas cycling in the face of global change: refining process-based understanding for enhanced predictive capabilities

面对全球变化的水生温室气体循环：完善基于过程的理解以增强预测能力

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-02818
• 负责人: DelSontro, Tonya
• 金额: $ 2.99万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 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=741842
• 关键词: Aquatic; greenhouse; gas; cycling; face

Freshwaters emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG), namely carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Globally, these emissions are equivalent to ~6% of carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and ~33% of that from land use change. Recent evidence suggests that anthropogenic (i.e., human-induced) activities and climate change are exacerbating aquatic GHG emissions, particularly via eutrophication, which is nutrient buildup that leads to excessive algal growth. This production reduces water quality and upon decomposition of it significant quantities of GHGs are produced. The nutrient buildup is typically sourced from fertilizer use in agriculture or wastewater release from urban populations and enhanced by increased runoff due to climate change. Southern Ontario is a populated region with much agriculture, yet little is known about the state of GHGs from Ontario waters. This knowledge is necessary to develop solutions to mitigate the climatic impact of our freshwaters. The goal of my research program is to advance our understanding of how human activities and climate change alter the budgets of all three aquatic GHGs and develop predictive tools for estimating budgets. To do this, I will quantify aquatic GHG emissions and accumulation in a series of lakes from the Waterloo-Kitchener and Toronto areas up to the more uninhabited regions near Algonquin Provincial Park. In addition, our understanding of GHG dynamics under ice is highly limited except that emissions at ice-off are significant. Therefore, I propose to quantify and define under ice GHG dynamics at two lakes at Dorset Environmental Science Centre (DESC) outfitted with buoys collecting year-round data. The United Nations recently recognized the intimate link between water and climate, urgin nations to pursue climate-friendly water policies. With ~40% of the world's freshwater, Canada can become a leader in water-climate science. The current Federal Sustainable Development Strategy of Canada recommends action on climate change and protection of waterways, but these are mutually exclusive goals and the lakes focused on are mostly large ones. My research will aid Environment and Climate Change Canada in fulfilling their goals by identifying smaller vulnerable systems in other regions using the results from my project and identify policies to manage watershed activities that reduce the climatic impact of our freshwaters. Also, the research I propose here will involve several undergraduate and graduate students who will receive hands-on training in the field and/or laboratory working on water quality, GHG and environmental data and samples. They will gain experience in carbon budgeting, modeling and communicating their research in written and oral media. The technical and soft skills that students in my group will obtain will prepare them for positions within government, industry or academia where they can help advance the environmental agenda of Canada.

淡水排放大量的温室气体，即二氧化碳、甲烷和一氧化二氮。在全球范围内，这些排放量相当于化石燃料燃烧碳排放量的约6%，相当于土地利用变化碳排放量的约33%。最近的证据表明，人为（即，人类活动和气候变化加剧了水生温室气体排放，特别是通过富营养化，这是导致藻类过度生长的营养积累。这种生产降低了水质，并在分解时产生了大量的温室气体。营养物质的积累通常来自农业中的肥料使用或城市人口排放的废水，并因气候变化导致的径流增加而增加。安大略南部是一个人口稠密的农业区，但对安大略沃茨的温室气体状况知之甚少。这些知识对于制定解决方案以减轻我们淡水的气候影响是必要的。我的研究计划的目标是推进我们对人类活动和气候变化如何改变所有三种水生温室气体预算的理解，并开发用于估计预算的预测工具。为此，我将量化从滑铁卢-基奇纳和多伦多地区到阿尔冈琴省立公园附近更无人居住的地区的一系列湖泊中的水生温室气体排放和积累。此外，我们对冰下温室气体动力学的理解是非常有限的，除了在结冰时的排放量是显着的。因此，我建议量化和定义多塞特环境科学中心（DESC）的两个湖泊的冰下温室气体动态，该中心配备了收集全年数据的浮标。 联合国最近认识到水与气候之间的密切联系，敦促各国采取气候友好型水政策。加拿大拥有世界40%的淡水，可以成为水气候科学的领导者。加拿大目前的联邦可持续发展战略建议采取行动应对气候变化和保护水道，但这些是相互排斥的目标，重点关注的湖泊大多是大型湖泊。我的研究将帮助加拿大环境和气候变化部通过使用我的项目结果确定其他地区较小的脆弱系统来实现他们的目标，并确定管理减少我们淡水气候影响的流域活动的政策。此外，我在这里提出的研究将涉及几个本科生和研究生谁将接受实践培训，在现场和/或实验室工作的水质，温室气体和环境数据和样本。他们将获得碳预算，建模和交流他们的研究在书面和口头媒体的经验。在我的小组的学生将获得的技术和软技能将准备他们在政府，行业或学术界的职位，他们可以帮助推进加拿大的环境议程。