Base de données de recherche des TNO

étiquettes: water quality, permafrost, aquatic ecosystems, hydrology, water chemistry, forest fire, fire ecology

Objectif(s): To determine the effect of fire on water quality within the southern Northwest Territories landscape; and, to also target catchments with variable permafrost extent, and wetland/lake coverage.

Description du projet: The objective of this study is to determine the effect of fire on water quality within the southern Northwest Territories landscape. The research team will work across the Taiga Plains and Taiga Shield Ecoregions, because it is believed that differences in landscape between these regions will affect the catchment response to fire. The research team will also target catchments with variable permafrost extent, and wetland/lake coverage. The research team will target 40-50 stream sites for the measurements. At each site, the team will sample water chemistry (nutrients, ions, organic carbon, mercury), chlorophyll a (algal biomass), and discharge. Samples will be collected following standard protocols, field-filtered, and stored chilled, in the dark, for later analysis. Analyses will be conducted at the University of Alberta’s Biogeochemical Analytical Service Laboratory, or the GNWT Taiga Lab. At selected road sites, the research team will install mesh samplers to collect benthic invertebrates for mercury tissue analyses. Each road access site will be surveyed three times: in spring-early summer (spring high flows), mid-late summer (peak growing season), and fall (maximum permafrost thaw). Water (or helicopter) access sites will be sampled in the spring-early summer, and fall. The research team have spoken to several government organizations and local communities regarding the research plans, and will continue to reach out to local communities as the team continue with the planning and site selection. The research team will work directly with local communities for advice on possible site selection. Where site access is via water, rather than via road the team will request the assistance of local community members for site access. The research team will send project reports to local communities who are involved in this work, or are nearby to the sampling locations. Finding will also be presented at the 2016 Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program’s annual meeting. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from April 11, 2016 to September 3, 2016.