CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Ferone, J.M.; and Devito, K.J.
Date : 2000.
Title : Landscape controls of hydrologic function and water quality in boreal plain wetland complexes
Publication : Quebec 2000: The Millennium Wetland Event, August 6 to 12, 2000, Quebec City, Quebec.
Issue :
Page(s) :
Abstract
The Western Boreal Forest is currently experiencing rapid expansion of industrial activity, yet pre-disturbance information is limited. To improve our understanding of hydrologic-nutrient interactions and to evaluate potential impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on wetland function, this study examined the hydrologic controls of wetland nutrient status in the northern Alberta landscape. To capture the typical range of variability in groundwater- surface water interactions, two pond-wetland complexes in contrasting landscape positions were studied : one located in the region's topographic high, moraine, and one in a lowland plain. All dominant water and nutrient (N, P species) pools and fluxes were determined by a combination of hydrometric, geochemical and isotopic measurements. During the 1999 ice-free season, evapotranspiration represented the dominant influence on the water balance. Surface waterlevel drawdown was more pronounced and variable in the moraine pond (e.g. 20cm vs. 8cm). Groundwater data suggest the moraine wetland functions as a recharge system, while the lowland complex represents a groundwater flow-through system. Nutrient levels of groundwater in both wetland complexes are high (e.g. [TDP] from 20 to 3000 ug/l), however, lowland nutrient concentrati ons are generally greater. Riparian sediments and till overburden exhibit large ranges of phosphorous adsorption capacities which may explain variable groundwater concentrations. Our findings of complex groundwater-nutrient interactions hold important implications for adaptive landuse planning and aquatic system management in the boreal plains.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology