Beyond peatlands: the role of Canada's tidal and prairie wetlands in climate change mitigation and adaptation

在湿地提供的众多生态系统服务中，气候调节被认为是湿地对社会最重要的效益之一。湿地生态系统在全球碳循环中发挥着重要作用；它们为长期储存大气中的二氧化碳提供了理想的环境，但它们也是甲烷排放的最大单一来源。气候变化有可能增加湿地的温室气体排放，然而，气温上升对湿地温室气体交换的影响仍不确定。此外，研究人员和包括加拿大政府在内的各国政府已经确定，防止进一步的湿地损失和恢复湿地生态系统对于限制未来的排放以帮助实现气候目标至关重要。

Among the numerous ecosystem services provided by wetlands, climate regulation is identified as one of their most important benefits to society. Wetland ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle; they provide the ideal environment for long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide, yet they are also the largest single source of methane emissions. Climate change has the potential to increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wetlands, however, the consequences of rising temperatures on wetland GHG exchange remains uncertain. Furthermore, preventing further wetland loss and restoring wetland ecosystems has been identified by researchers and governments, including the Government of Canada, as important in limiting future emissions to help meet climate goals. With growing interest in wetland management and restoration as a Natural Climate Solution, improved estimates of wetland carbon sequestration and GHG fluxes across Canadian wetland types are strongly needed. The objective of this partnership is therefore to contribute to an improved understanding of the response of wetland carbon dynamics to management and climate change in key wetland types across Canada. Here we focus on wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of western Canada and tidal wetlands along the Pacific Coast since these ecosystems are understudied relative to other wetland types in Canada, yet they play important roles in carbon cycling and climate regulation. Specifically, this study leverages existing funding and infrastructure to investigate carbon and GHG dynamics across four wetland sites, with the aims of measuring and modeling GHG fluxes in prairie wetlands in Manitoba and in tidal marshes of the Pacific Coast. By combining field-based measurements, remote sensing, and modelling, this research will provide new insights into the controls on wetland GHG dynamics, and quantify the potential climate benefits of wetland management and conservation. This research is key to better predicting wetland feedbacks to climate change, which in turn will directly help inform regional and national climate mitigation strategies and related policy development.