Characterizing and quantifying aquifer-wetland interactions

湿地在不同程度上依赖地下水，但控制其依赖地下水的过程知之甚少。湿地和含水层正在承受越来越大的人为和气候变化压力，导致世界各地出现前所未有的扰动。管理人员和决策者迫切需要更好地了解含水层-湿地联系的性质和范围，以支持更好地管理和保护这两个实体。拟议的研究的目的是提高我们的湿地（河岸沼泽，孤立的沼泽和沼泽，泥炭地）是如何依赖于地下水的理解，反之亦然，在冰川环境中，如在加拿大东部和魁北克南部发现。拟议的研究计划旨在解决三个主要目标：1）更好地了解负责相互作用的交换机制; 2）测量流量并描述含水层和湿地之间的交换条件; 3）开发定量方法的框架来估计含水层-湿地联系。在主题1中，将在魁北克南部开发一个由50个仪器湿地组成的新的全魁北克网络。每个湿地的水文地质环境将被描述，沿着其地球化学。将对五个湿地进行更密集的仪器测量，以便更好地分析含水层-湿地的相互作用。将对依赖地下水的湿地进行区域尺度测绘。在主题2中，将制定一个使用定量方法的框架。将在区域一级测试两个完全耦合的地表水和地下水流模型。一个详细的建模研究将进行五个更多的仪器湿地。将为筛选分析开发一个管理用水预算工具。这项研究计划的原创性源于研究的湿地的多样性，冰川地形地质条件的广度，以及野外，实验室和建模方法的结合。该研究计划将为我们的湿地知识带来全新的贡献。这些贡献有可能极大地改变地下水和湿地的管理方式。

Wetlands are groundwater dependent to varying extents but the processes that control their groundwater dependency are poorly understood. Wetlands and aquifers are undergoing increasing anthropogenic and climate change pressures which have led to unprecedented perturbations throughout the world. Managers and policy makers have an urgent need for improved knowledge of the nature and extent of aquifer-wetland links to support better management and conservation of both entities. The aim of the proposed research is to improve our understanding of how wetlands (riparian marshes, isolated marshes and swamps, and peatlands) are dependent on groundwater, and vice-versa, in glaciated environments such as those found in eastern Canada and southern Quebec. The proposed research program is designed to tackle three major goals: 1) better understand exchange mechanisms responsible for the interactions; 2) measure flows and characterize exchange conditions between aquifers and wetlands; 3) develop a framework for quantitative approaches to estimate aquifer-wetland links. In Theme 1, a new landscape-wide network of 50 instrumented wetlands will be developed in southern Quebec. The hydrogeologic settings of each wetland will be characterized, along with its geochemistry. Five wetlands will be more intensively instrumented to allow finer analysis of aquifer-wetland interactions. Regional scale mapping of groundwater dependent wetlands will be performed. In Theme 2, a framework will be developed for using quantitative approaches. Two fully-coupled surface and groundwater flow models will be tested at the regional scale. A detailed modeling study will be performed for the five more instrumented wetlands. A management water budget tool will be developed for screening analyses. The originality of this research program stems from the variety of wetlands studied, from the breadth of geological conditions in glaciated terrain and from a combination of field, laboratory and modeling approaches. The research program will bring entirely new contributions to our knowledge of wetlands. These contributions have the potential to change dramatically the way groundwater and wetlands are managed.