Applying natural analogues to constructing and assessing long-term hydrological response of oil sands reclaimed landscapes

阿萨巴斯卡油砂（AOS）的开垦将以前所未有的规模进行，需要建造一个由湖泊、湿地和林地组成的马赛克景观，以表征未受干扰的北方平原。然而，在未来的填海计划中，目前有一个关键的权衡。目前必须利用这一亚湿润地区有限的水资源来支持健康的水生生态系统或用于木材采伐的生产性森林。为了实现重建景观的真正潜力，并满足AOS填海目标，需要开发混合景观，最大限度地提高这些复杂的相互关联的环境的每个组成部分的环境和经济效益。这需要准确了解北方平原内水储存和运动的空间和时间变化。我们将通过研究水文学，生态学，地质学和气候如何在一系列时间和空间尺度上相互作用来解决这一关键的知识差距。我们将通过实地研究和详细的数值模拟来确定马赛克景观的不同组成部分如何组织和相互连接，以实现所需的填海目标。研究将在Utikuma地区研究区进行，该研究区代表了广泛的潜在成熟景观设计。该研究利用了一场80，000公顷的野火，该野火烧毁了研究区域的很大一部分，为建设后最初几年的一系列未来回收的AOS景观提供了自然模拟;当生态系统和景观失败的风险最显著时。本项目将培养15名理学学士、9名理学硕士、8名博士、8名博士后和3名技术人员。这项工作将提供知识，为下一代再生AOS景观的设计和建设提供信息，最大限度地提高景观配置，以确保工程稳定性，最佳环境条件和最大的经济效益。

The reclamation of the Athabasca Oil Sands (AOS) will occur at an unprecedented scale, requiring the construction of a mosaic of landscapes of lakes, wetlands and forestlands that characterize the undisturbed Boreal Plains. However, there is currently a critical trade-off in future reclamation plans. The limited water resources available within this sub-humid region must currently be used to support either healthy aquatic ecosystems or productive forests for timber harvest. To achieve the true potential of a reconstructed landscape and to meet AOS reclamation targets, hybrid landscapes that maximize the environmental and economic benefits from each component of these complex interconnected environments need to be developed. This requires an accurate understanding of the spatial and temporal variability in water storage and movement within the Boreal Plains. We will address this key knowledge gap by examining how the hydrology, ecology, geology and climate interact at a range of temporal and spatial scales. We will identify through field-based research and detailed numerical modeling how the different components of the mosaic landscape can be organized and interconnected to achieve the required reclamation goals. Research will be undertaken at the Utikuma Region Study Area, which represents the broad range of potential mature landscape designs. The research takes advantage of a 80,000 ha wildfire that burned a substantial proportion of the study region, providing a natural analogue for a range of future reclaimed AOS landscapes in the initial years post construction; when risk of ecosystem and landscape failure are most significant. A total of 15 BSc, 9 MSc and 8 PhD students, 8 postdoctoral fellows and 3 technicians will be trained during this project. The work will provide the knowledge to inform the design and construction of the next generation of reclaimed AOS landscapes that maximize landscape configuration to ensure engineering stability, the best environmental conditions and maximum economic benefit.