| Principal Investigator: | Turetsky, Merritt R. (4) |
| Licence Number: | 15256 |
| Organization: | University of Guelph |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2014
2013
|
| Issued: | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Project Team: | David Olefedt, Julie Talbot |
Objective(s): To determine if permafrost thaw in peatlands is linked to rapid losses of organic matter.
Project Description: The research team aims to study if permafrost thaw in peatlands is linked to rapid losses of organic matter. The field work will focus on extracting a number of cores from different peatland sites that differ in their permafrost status. By examining the peat layers in the core the research team will be able to reconstruct the history of the site and to link changes in permafrost conditions to rates of carbon accumulation and loss. The research team will also examine whether the loss of old carbon stores is compensated for by increased new accumulation due to increased plant net productivity following thaw. The research team will use different equipment to core depending on the permafrost conditions in the peatlands. In permafrost plateaus a SIPRE corer will be used, which uses a power head to drill a 3 inch diameter core. In the unfrozen bogs a Frozen finger corer will be used, which can be pushed in manually. Before extracting the core from the frozen finger, dry ice will be applied to freeze the core so that it stays intact. The research team will extract 10 long (3 m) cores and additionally collect 10-15 short (<1 m) surface cores. Once the cores have been transported to the labs in Montreal and Guelph, the peat layers will be analyzed for radiocarbon age, carbon content, pollen types and the type of vegetation remains that can be identified. The proposed research will be carried out at Scotty Creek south of Fort Simpson, a location that has been developed for research purposes. Guidance for research at the site has been sought through public consultation with community groups at Jean-Marie River and Fort Simpson, and these are conversations that the research team would be interested in continuing along with the other research groups at Scotty Creek. The research team will make the resulting publications and the annual reports to the Aurora Research Institute available to local communities. The team will coordinate outreach to the local communities also through the other research groups who do work at Scotty Creek. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 1, 2013 to August 26, 2013.
