Download or read book Organic Matter Accumulation in Reclaimed Soils Beneath Different Vegetation Types in the Athabasca Oil Sands written by Jeff Anderson and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Organic Matter Decomposition at a Constructed Fen in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in Alberta Canada written by Matthew Coulas and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Resource mining and extraction in northern Alberta has resulted in substantial disturbances across a variety of ecosystems, including fen peatlands. Provincial regulations require companies to reclaim disturbed areas to their pre-existing function, with fen reclamation only being attempted in recent years. Fen peatlands store tremendous amounts of carbon (C) due to organic matter accumulation exceeding decomposition. Due to the length of time required for the development of these landscapes it is imperative to identify potential opportunities to minimize decomposition, thereby maximizing peat accumulation. To meet this objective, sufficient understanding of the biogeochemical and environmental controls of organic matter (OM) degradation is a priority. This research estimates decomposition rate using the litter bag method and tea bag index at a constructed fen (Nikanotee fen) in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Throughout the growing season in 2017, environmental conditions including volumetric water content (VWC), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and soil temperature were measured to determine controls on decomposition. Additionally, soil and water samples were collected to determine biogeochemical controls on decomposition, namely phenolic compound concentration and extracellular enzyme activities. Laboratory incubations under oxic and anoxic conditions were also used to determine microbial respiration rates under varying treatments of peat, Carex aquatilis, Juncus balticus, straw, and wood-strand mulch, which (with the exception of straw) were all utilized in the construction of the Nikanotee fen. Mixed results were obtained from these two studies. Our field study suggests that Carex aquatilis biomass decomposes faster than Juncus balticus, and that decomposition is higher under plots planted with Carex aquatilis as opposed to Juncus balticus or left bare. Furthermore, we did not observe increased concentration of phenolics as a result of the wood-strand mulch, nor did we observe any significant evidence to support the enzymatic latch hypothesis at the constructed fen. Although we observed an inhibitory effect of phenolics on OM-degrading hydrolase enzymes at the reference sites, it was not observed at the constructed fen, nor was there a significant correlation between phenol oxidase (PO) activity and decomposition rate. Lastly, we found increased decomposition under higher pH, higher soil temperature, lower VWC and lower EC. Contrary to our field study, our laboratory findings suggest Juncus balticus may be of higher lability relative to the other treatments including Carex aquatilis. We also observed negative priming rates under oxic conditions from treatments containing Juncus balticus, while positive priming effects under anoxic conditions were observed from the Carex aquatilis treatments, which could significantly impact long-term C sequestration. Similar to the findings from our field study, our results from our laboratory incubation do not support the enzymatic latch theory. Phenolics were not readily leached from the wood-strand mulch, and we observed a negative interaction between PO activity and microbial respiration. Despite this, wood-strand mulch remains preferable over straw during fen reclamation due to its reduced lability and potential negative priming effect under anoxic conditions; however, if not required for successful vegetation establishment, wood-strand mulch is not a recommend amendment as it has little effect on decomposition rates.
Download or read book Environmental Controls on Carbon Sequestration in a Saline Boreal Peat forming Wetland in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region written by Olena Volik and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Saline boreal fens represent potential models for post-mining landscape reclamation in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) (Canada) where wetland construction is challenged by salinization. One of the key indicators of reclamation success is the accumulation of organic carbon within constructed fens, and a better understanding of the drivers of carbon sequestration in natural saline fens can be useful for advancing fen construction in this region. As such, this thesis aims to determine the main environmental controls on carbon uptake and its long-term storage in a saline boreal fen near Fort McMurray (Alberta, Canada) by: 1) reconstructing past salinity change; 2) determining relations between reconstructed salinity, hydrological conditions, vegetation and organic matter accumulation rates (OMAR) over the last ~100 years in open-water areas (ponds) within the fen; 3) investigating the effects of salinity, vegetation and hydrology on the long-term apparent rate of carbon accumulation (LARCA) within the peatland; and 4) assessing CO2 fluxes within the peatland and open-water areas. Past salinity change was investigated using paleolimnological analysis of sediment cores from three ponds situated within the fen. Salinity fluctuations were reconstructed using weighted-averaging transfer functions based on diatoms and an environmental dataset from 32 saline boreal ponds. Results reveal complex “precipitation - surface water - groundwater” interactions associated with differences in the hydrologic functioning of the studied ponds, and their connectivity with shallow groundwater aquifers and adjacent wetlands. Relationships between cumulative departure from mean precipitation (CDLM) and diatom-inferred (DI) salinity suggest that precipitation may control salinity both directly and indirectly. In ponds recharged predominantly by meteoric water, precipitation may govern salinity directly by dilution of salt content in water, so that increases in precipitation result in a salinity decline. In ponds situated within a saline groundwater discharge zone, salinity may be influenced by precipitation indirectly through recharge of the saline aquifer, so increases in precipitation lead to rises in salinity. Our study suggests that complex DI-salinity response to precipitation change, coupled with notable range of DI-salinity fluctuation within natural saline fens should be considered while designing saline constructed wetlands and predicting their potential resilience under climate change. Median OMAR (181 g m-2 yr-1) of the site suggests that ponds situated within saline boreal fens OMAR comparable to freshwater boreal and subarctic ponds, and reconstructed salinity levels (3-21 ppt) did not severely affect organic matter accumulation. Strong significant positive (Lager Pond), strong significant negative (South Pond), and weak insignificant (Pilsner Pond) correlations between OMAR and DI-salinity were observed, suggesting that relations between organic matter accumulation and salt content are not straightforward, and salinity was not the main control on OMAR. Macrofossil data showed that OM accumulation was mainly driven by water level, type of primary producers and pond regime. OMAR was the highest during the transition from peatland to ponds due to low decomposition rates resulting from high inputs of relatively resistant plant litter, and anoxic conditions. A macrophyte-dominated pond regime was associated with higher OMAR relative to phytoplankton-dominated regime. LARCA within the fen was studied using two peat sediment cores. Changes in LARCA in the less saline part of the fen correlate well with water table fluctuations and seem not to be affected by low salinity (EC 5 mScm-1). The highest LARCA values are related to wet conditions; however, prolonged inundations coupled with high salinity (EC10 mScm-1) appear to have negative effect on LARCA. In the southern more saline part of the fen relationships between LARCA and hydrology are complicated by salinity probably through the impact on the net primary productivity. The influence of salinity on LARCA is determined by salinity level, and there is a threshold value (probably 10 mScm-1) after which salinity can significantly affect “LARCA - hydrology” links. Mean LARCA of the site (19.7 gm-2 yr-1) is lower than in western continental fens, but it is comparable to the average rate reported for western Canadian peatlands. The northern less saline part of the fen has LARCA of 29.67 gm-2 yr-1 that is close to LARCA in rich fens, but LARCA in the southern part is considerably lower (9.79 gm-2yr-1). Environmental controls on net ecosystem exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (R), and gross primary productivity (GEP) within the fen were studied using community-scale CO2 measurements along a salinity gradient. Strong positive correlations between NEE, GEP, leaf area index (LAI), and vegetation biomass within terrestrial areas and strong positive correlation between GEP and vegetation density within aquatic areas illustrated importance of vegetation properties for carbon uptake. CO2 fluxes within peatland were driven primary by water table depth, and electrical conductivity as revealed by strong negative correlations between these variables and NEE, GEP, and R. Links between CO2 exchange and environmental factors were influenced by microtopographical differences, and additional controls (e.g., soil moisture, availability of magnesium, manganese and calcium) on NEE, GEP, and R were found within depressions. Strong negative correlation between R and water table depth (WTD), coupled with strong positive correlation between R and belowground biomass within ridges and no significant correlation between WTD and R within depressions possibly suggested predominance of root and/ or root-associated microbial respiration within depressions and prevalence of microbial respiration within ridges. Within open water areas, GEP and R were related to phosphate concentration as suggested by strong positive correlation. In contrast to terrestrial areas, EC had no relations to CO2 fluxes, and higher GEP was found in mesosaline ponds comparatively to hyposaline ones. This study revealed importance of development of appropriate planting schemes for terrestrial and open-water.
Download or read book Hydrogeochemical Soil Dynamics Relative to Topography for Forested Land Units Undergoing Reclamation in a Post mined Landscape in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region Alberta written by Tristan Gingras-Hill and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural forest soils of the Western Boreal Forest rarely witness near-surface soil flushing events during the growing season due to the forest's excessive evapotranspiration demands and large unsaturated zone storage capacity. This leads to the accumulation of nutrients such as Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP) and Total Inorganic Nitrogen (TIN) within the surface soils, increasing along a low-relief moisture gradient transitioning through upland forests, riparian zones and wetlands, influencing vegetation communities. In the post-mined landscape, decompressed overburden produce topographically elevated hillslopes with cover soils exhibiting poor transmissivity and hydrophobic properties, which are often subject to erosion. Reclamation projects are beginning to develop entire watersheds consisting of engineered wetlands, uplands and hillslopes, varying in elevation, to ensure a hydrologic connectivity that can support resiliency to moisture deficit during periodic stresses. To avoid undesirable interactions between land units, it is important to understand their hydrogeochemical connectivity. This study focuses on the interactions between a recently (i.e. three years) reclaimed low-relief upland and three encompassing hillslopes (aged five to nine-years since reclamation), located within a constructed fen watershed. The objectives were to determine if topographically driven moisture-nutrient gradients were being formed and how this would influence vegetation colonization. No topographically driven moisture-nutrient gradient was detected within the lower-lying constructed upland, attributed to the heterogeneity of the cover soil placement and the lack of preferential flow paths, typically witnessed in newly reclaimed soils. Furthermore, the application of control release fertilizer likely hindered the detection of any topographic influence on ion mobility. Runoffs collectors suggest that fertilizer may lead to off-site movement immediately following application. Results also demonstrated that SRP is likely in excess within this system and susceptible to leaching following overland flow events. However, TIN is potentially a limiting nutrient and while immobilized at the surface, demonstrated greater susceptibility towards vertical flow, especially when groundwater recharge promoting structures are incorporated within the construction of forested land units. Sapling survival within the constructed upland appeared to be influenced by moisture stress over nutrient availability, re-examining the need for fertilizer application when reclaimed soils still lack moisture absorbing properties. The elevated hillslopes also did not demonstrate any topographically driven moisture-nutrient gradient regardless of age since reclamation. The more mature hillslope was expected to demonstrate such a gradient, however the dry growing season likely hindered subsurface interflow downslope. The two younger hillslopes still demonstrated poor transmissivity attributed to their immaturity. TIN contributions towards the constructed upland proved to be minimal, however phosphorus inputs from erosion prone areas are likely to influence SRP availability following phosphate desorption processes within the constructed upland. Although our system demonstrated positive correlations of increased SRP on native species establishment, TIN availability demonstrated increased forb and non-native species colonization. This study demonstrates how current forested upland reclamation practices might influence other land units when re-initiating hydrogeochemical connectivity throughout engineered landscapes. This study also demonstrates how contributions from topographically elevated land units might impact vegetation communities downslope, which is crucial for re-establishing the resiliency of the landscape. Current forest upland and hillslope reclamation practices will likely need to be re-evaluated when considering landscape scale hydrogeochemical connectivity.
Download or read book Organic Matter Accumulation in Sand Beased i e Based Root Zones written by Timothy D. VanLoo and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nitrogen Plant and Microbial Community Dynamics in Sites Recovering from Wildfire and Surface Mining in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region written by Jillian M. Martin and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For reclamation to be considered successful, an ecosystem must be self-sustaining and have a recovery trajectory that falls within the range of variability of ecosystem function in natural ecosystems. This study compared the soil nitrogen availability, soil microbial community, and understory vegetation following natural (wildfire) disturbance and anthropogenic (reclamation) disturbance, in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region. Eleven natural (aged 2-131 years) and five reclaimed sites (aged 4-27 years) from upland aspen/ spruce stands were compared. Soil available nitrogen was assessed in-situ with ionic resin capsules and potentially mineralizable nitrogen was determined by anaerobic incubation. Microbial respiration was measured as an indicator of activity, and microbial community fingerprints and biomass were determined using phospholipid fatty acid analysis. The vegetation was characterized by canopy cover, plant functional group, and composition survey at the genus level. No significant difference for nitrate or ammonium availability was observed at the site level; however, there were trends with time and canopy cover. The potentially mineralizable nitrogen trend with time was much higher on the natural sites than the reclaimed sites. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling ordinations of the soil microbial community and understory vegetation composition revealed that reclaimed and unburned sites had significantly different communities with a low degree of similarity. The burned sites (aged 2-39 years) were more variable and bridged the difference between the reclaimed and mature sites. The microbial community of the oldest reclaimed sites were most similar to naturally disturbed sites. This work shows that young naturally disturbed sites may be a more relevant comparison when evaluating reclamation trajectory than mature stands.
Download or read book Physical Geology written by Steven Earle and published by . This book was released on 2016-08-12 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a discount Black and white version. Some images may be unclear, please see BCCampus website for the digital version.This book was born out of a 2014 meeting of earth science educators representing most of the universities and colleges in British Columbia, and nurtured by a widely shared frustration that many students are not thriving in courses because textbooks have become too expensive for them to buy. But the real inspiration comes from a fascination for the spectacular geology of western Canada and the many decades that the author spent exploring this region along with colleagues, students, family, and friends. My goal has been to provide an accessible and comprehensive guide to the important topics of geology, richly illustrated with examples from western Canada. Although this text is intended to complement a typical first-year course in physical geology, its contents could be applied to numerous other related courses.
Download or read book Metal Concentration in Plants and Soils in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region written by G. L. Lesko and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 1922 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Abstracts of Papers Presented at the Annual Meeting written by Society for Range Management. Meeting and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 638 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-03-22 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Diluted bitumen has been transported by pipeline in the United States for more than 40 years, with the amount increasing recently as a result of improved extraction technologies and resulting increases in production and exportation of Canadian diluted bitumen. The increased importation of Canadian diluted bitumen to the United States has strained the existing pipeline capacity and contributed to the expansion of pipeline mileage over the past 5 years. Although rising North American crude oil production has resulted in greater transport of crude oil by rail or tanker, oil pipelines continue to deliver the vast majority of crude oil supplies to U.S. refineries. Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines examines the current state of knowledge and identifies the relevant properties and characteristics of the transport, fate, and effects of diluted bitumen and commonly transported crude oils when spilled in the environment. This report assesses whether the differences between properties of diluted bitumen and those of other commonly transported crude oils warrant modifications to the regulations governing spill response plans and cleanup. Given the nature of pipeline operations, response planning, and the oil industry, the recommendations outlined in this study are broadly applicable to other modes of transportation as well.
Download or read book Restoration and Reclamation of Boreal Ecosystems written by Dale Vitt and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-09-20 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides the conceptual backbone and specific information necessary for the ecologically sound restoration and sustainable development of boreal ecosystems.
Download or read book Natural Regions and Subregions of Alberta written by David J. Downing and published by . This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document presents the climatic, physiographic, vegetation, soil, wildlife and land use attributes that characterize each natural region and subregion. It has been organized into four parts: part one outlines national region and subregion concepts, part two describes methods used to generate climate statistics, part three presents a comparative analysis of selected climate statistics to facilitate comparison of natural regions and subregions, and part four presents detailed climatic, vegetation, soils and physiographic descriptions for six natural regions and twenty-one natural subregions currently recognized in Alberta.
Download or read book Natural Abundance of Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes in Soil Organic Matter Accumulated Under Three Chaparral Species and Pine at the San Dimas Experimental Forest California written by Jennifer Colleen Peterson and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry written by Ghulam Hassan Dar and published by New India Publishing. This book was released on 2009-08 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book has primarily been aimed at to adequately introduce the basic concepts in soil microbiology and soil biochemistry with thrust on understanding the various microbial processes occurring in soil. The book is expected to be useful to undergraduate and postgraduate students, teachers and researchers dealing with agriculture, horticulture and forestry in general and agricultural microbiology, soil science and environmental sciences in particular.
Download or read book The Canadian System of Soil Classification written by Canadian Agricultural Services Coordinating Committee. Soil Classification Working Group and published by NRC Research Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This treatise begins with an introduction on the history of soil classification in Canada and discussion of the rationale for soil taxonomy. It then defines such terms as soil, pedon, and soil horizons before outlining the classification system along with identification keys. Chapters 4 through 13 describe the characteristics of the various soil orders and include information on distinguishing soils of one order from soils of other orders. Chapter 14 outlines criteria & guidelines used in differentiating classes in soil families and soil series categories. Chapter 15 provides information on distinguishing soil phases. Chapter 16 correlates Canadian soil taxonomy with other classification systems. Chapter 17 summarizes the main terminology used to describe soils at the landscape and pedon scales. The final chapter provides a system of landform classification for soil mapping.
Download or read book Oil and Gas Production Handbook An Introduction to Oil and Gas Production written by Havard Devold and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2013 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
