Investigating peat hydrological properties using field and laboratory methods: application to the Lanoraie peatland complex (southern Quebec, Canada)

Rosa, Éric; Larocque, Marie

doi:10.1002/hyp.6771

Cited by 58 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…These values are clearly overestimated because evapotranspiration is considered as negligible, although some rainfall water undergoes evapotranspiration during short rainfall events. A wide range of Sy values, from 0·05 to 0·79, have been observed for peat deposits (Boelter, 1965; Bradley, 1996; Price and Schlotzhauer, 1999; Schlotzhauer and Price, 1999; Van Seters and Price, 2002; Price et al , 2003; Rosa and Larocque, 2008), so it is not possible to constrain this parameter any further. We assume a mean Sy value of 0·22 to quantify Δ S .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of climatic and anthropogenic effects to the hydric deficit of peatlands

Auterives

Aquilina

Bour

et al. 2011

Hydrological Processes

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International audienceThe present study makes use of a detailed water balance to investigate the hydrological status of a peatland with a basal clay-rich layer overlying an aquifer exploited for drinking water. The aim is to determine the influence of climate and groundwater extraction on the water balance and water levels in the peatland. During the two-year period of monitoring, the hydrological functioning of the wetland showed a hydric deficit, associated with a permanent unsaturated layer and a deep water table. At the same time, a stream was observed serving as a recharge inflow instead of draining the peatland, as usually described in natural systems. Such conditions are not favourable for peat accumulation. Field investigations show that the clay layer has a high hydraulic conductivity (1.10-7 to 3.10-9 m.s-1) and does not form a hydraulic barrier. Moreover, the vertical hydraulic gradients are downward between the peat and the sand aquifer, leading to high flows of groundwater through the clay layer (20 to 48% of the precipitation). The observed hydric deficit of the peatland results from a combination of dry climatic conditions during the study period and groundwater extraction. The climatic effect is mainly expressed through drying out of the peatland, while the anthropogenic effect leads to an enhancement of the climatic effect on a global scale, and a modification of fluxes at a local scale. The drying out of the peatland can lead to its mineralization, which thus gives rise to environmental impacts. The protection of such wetlands in the context of climate change should take account of anthropogenic pressures by considering the wetland-aquifer interaction

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of climatic and anthropogenic effects to the hydric deficit of peatlands

Auterives

Aquilina

Bour

et al. 2011

Hydrological Processes

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“…1). The complex, inherited from the St. Lawrence River palaeochannels, lies over low-permeability clayey silts of the Champlain Sea and is bordered by Lanoraie region terrace sands (Rosa and Larocque 2008). It is mainly composed of forested fens dominated by Acer rubrum, Alnus incana ssp.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These sampling dates correspond respectively to the period of the highest and lowest water table depth in the complex (Rosa and Larocque 2008). The difference (fluctuation) and the mean of the two values were used for analysis.…”

Section: Vegetation and Abiotic Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relative Impact of Human Disturbances on the Vegetation of a Large Wetland Complex

2010

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Anthropogenic disturbances are important factors structuring the vegetation of ecosystems, but their influence on peatlands remain poorly understood. We quantified the relative influence of anthropogenic disturbances, abiotic variables and spatial patterns on the floristic composition of a large wetland complex, and assessed the relationship between disturbances and species richness. Vegetation and abiotic data were collected in 253 plots, and disturbances determined using aerial photographs. Data were analyzed with multivariate and nonparametric techniques. Disturbances had detrimental effects on bryophyte and on true peatland species richness, but favored the richness of grass as well as non-peatland and exotic species. However, abiotic conditions are still predominant in controlling the overall plant composition at the complex level (25.2% of floristic variations explained, compared to 8.2% for disturbances). The vegetation heterogeneity was also mainly attributed to abiotic factors when taking account only fen habitats. The three sets of explanatory factors were equally important in structuring the vegetation of bog habitats. However, the most influential variables were those related to human activities. Our landscape ecology approach to study wetland vegetation allowed us to show that while human disturbances are important in structuring vegetation in bogs and fens, they do not override the prevalence of local abiotic conditions.

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“…Peat hydraulic conductivity was estimated by Fournier (). For the top 0.3 m, it was estimated using an experimental tank reproducing Darcy's experiment (Rosa and Larocque, ) and varies between 0.00189 and 0.00725 m s −1 . Below this depth and down to 1 m, it was estimated with the modified cubic method (Beckwith et al ., ) and varies between 2.1 × 10 −8 and 1 × 10 −4 m s −1 .…”

Section: Experimental Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of a headwater system and peatland under current conditions and with climate change

Levison

Larocque

Fournier

et al. 2013

Hydrological Processes

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Interactions between headwater aquifers and peatlands have received limited scientific attention. Hydrological stresses, including those related to climate change, may adversely impact these interactions. In this study, the dynamics of a southern Québec headwater system where a peatland is present is simulated under current conditions and with climate change. The model is calibrated in steady state on field‐measured data and provides satisfactory results for transient‐state conditions. Under current conditions, simulations confirm that the peatland is fed by the fractured bedrock aquifer year‐round and provides continuous baseflow to its outlets. Climate change is simulated through its impact on groundwater recharge. Predicted precipitation and temperature data from a suite of regional climate model scenarios provide a net precipitation variation range from +10% to −30% for the 2041–2070 horizon. Calibrated recharge is modified within this range to perform a sensitivity analysis of the headwater model to recharge variations (+10%, −15% and −30%). Total contribution from the aquifer to rivers and streams varies from +14% to −44% of the baseline for +10% to −30% recharge changes from spring 2010 data, for example. With higher recharge, the peatland receives more groundwater, which could significantly change its vegetation pattern and eventually ecosystem functions. For a −30% recharge, the peatland becomes perched above the aquifer during the summer, fall and winter. Recharge reductions also induce sharp declines in groundwater levels and drying streams. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Investigating peat hydrological properties using field and laboratory methods: application to the Lanoraie peatland complex (southern Quebec, Canada)

Cited by 58 publications

References 27 publications

Contribution of climatic and anthropogenic effects to the hydric deficit of peatlands

Contribution of climatic and anthropogenic effects to the hydric deficit of peatlands

The Relative Impact of Human Disturbances on the Vegetation of a Large Wetland Complex

Dynamics of a headwater system and peatland under current conditions and with climate change

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