Ecohydrology and resilience of peatland ecosystems

泥炭地覆盖了加拿大陆地表面的17%，主要位于北方和亚北极生态区。泥炭地生态系统是全球气候调节器和区域重要的水资源，包含全球土壤碳库的三分之一，占全球地表淡水的10%。然而，气候变化预计将导致更干燥的条件，增加植被压力和野火的发生率更高[Flannigan等人，2005]。虽然实地证据表明，泥炭地通常是具有复原力的生态系统，但一些模拟研究表明，泥炭地将对气候变化产生强烈而持久的积极反馈。本研究的目的是量化泥炭地生态水文弹性。因此，迫切需要开发和采用一种新的方法来量化泥炭地的生态水文过程，以确定其对气候变化介导的干扰的恢复力。泥炭地水文影响（PHI）模型将根据苔藓生态生理学实验室实验和泥炭弹性的实地过程量化来开发，以应对不同严重程度的干旱和野火。该模型将用于模拟气候变化对泥炭地生态水文学和碳地球化学的影响。 本研究将培养和发展12名高素质的人才，其中包括2名硕士和2名博士生。该研究将提供新的信息，增强的模型，指导方针和建议，帮助政府和行业更好地了解自然资源管理（森林火灾，泥炭资源）决策和泥炭地气候变化响应的长期生态和水文影响。野火与气候变化之间的关系可能对森林、林业活动、社区保护和碳固存产生重大影响。

Peatlands cover ~17% of Canada's land surface and are located primarily in the boreal and subarctic ecozones. Peatland ecosystems represent a global climate regulator and a regionally important water resource, containing one-third of the global soil carbon pool and accounting for 10% of the global surface fresh water. However, climate change is expected to lead to drier conditions, increased vegetation stress and a greater incidence of wildfire [Flannigan et al. 2005]. While field evidence suggests that peatlands are generally resilient ecosystems, some modelling studies suggest peatlands will represent a strong and persistent positive feedback to climate change. The aim of this research is to quantify peatland ecohydrological resilience. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop and adopt a new approach to quantify ecohydrological processes in peatlands to determine their resilience to climate change mediated disturbance. The Peatland Hydrological Impacts (PHI) model will be developed from moss ecophysiology lab experiments and field based process quantification of peat resilience in response to varying severity of drought and wildfires. The model will be used to simulate the effects of climate change on peatland ecohydrology and carbon biogeochemistry. This research will train and develop 12 highly qualified personnel including 2 MSc and 2 PhD students. The research will provide new information, enhanced models, guidelines, and recommendations that will help government and industry better understand the long-term ecological and hydrological ramifications of natural resource management (forest fires, peat resources) decisions and responses to climate change of peatlands. The relationship between wildfire and climate change could have significant implications for forests, forestry activities, community protection and carbon sequestration.