Insights into mountain wetland resilience to climate change: An evaluation of the hydrological processes contributing to the hydrodynamics of alpine wetlands in the Canadian Rocky Mountains
Date
2018-10-02
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0002-6193-5032
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Hydrological conditions play an important role in provisioning the exceptionally valuable
ecosystem services and functions of wetlands. In alpine areas, wetland functions and services are
expected to be very sensitive to climate-mediated changes in hydrology. However, few field
studies of alpine wetland hydrology currently exist, thus limiting understanding of how wetlands
will respond to warming and drying, and how their ecosystem services and functions will
change. This study examines key processes contributing to the hydrological stability of alpine
wetlands in Banff National Park, AB, Canada. During the two-year study, snowmelt timing
differed by over three weeks, allowing for the examination of water table patterns under
comparatively wet and dry conditions. Contrary to expectations, water table positions were
relatively stable in each study year, particularly in the peat-bearing soils. Hydrophysical and
hydrochemical data together provide evidence that the observed stability is in part due to
groundwater contributions, which made up as much as 53% of the water budget in one peatland.
Soil conditions also appear to play a role in stabilizing water table regimes. The results suggest
that alpine wetlands, and peatlands in particular, may be more resilient to changes in climate than
currently thought. Mineral wetlands, comparatively, may have limited adaptive capacity.
Description
Keywords
mountain wetlands, climate change, hydrology
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Geography and Planning
Program
Geography