Ecohydrology and resilience of peatland ecosystems

泥炭地覆盖了加拿大约17%的陆地表面，主要位于北部和亚北极生态区。泥炭地生态系统是全球气候调节器和区域重要水资源，占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、增加的植被压力和更大的野火发生率[Flannigan等人。2005年]。虽然现场证据表明，泥炭地通常是有弹性的生态系统，但一些模拟研究表明，泥炭地将代表着对气候变化的强烈和持久的正反馈。本研究的目的是量化泥炭地的生态水文复原力。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引起的干扰的恢复能力。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基于野外过程的泥炭对不同严重程度的干旱和野火的响应能力进行量化。该模型将用于模拟气候变化对泥炭地生态水文学和碳生物地球化学的影响。本研究将培养和培养12名高素质人才，其中包括2名硕士和2名博士生。这项研究将提供新的信息、改进的模型、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)决策和应对泥炭地气候变化的长期生态和水文影响。野火和气候变化之间的关系可能会对森林、林业活动、社区保护和碳封存产生重大影响。

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.