EVALUATING THE BIOGEOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONING OF A CONSTRUCTED FEN ON THE POST-MINING LANDSCAPE OF ATHABASCA OIL SANDS REGION, FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA, CANADA

• Main Author: Nwaishi, Felix C.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholars Commons @ Laurier 2016
• Subjects: Peatlands; Nutrient cycling; Reclamation; Athabasca Oil Sands; Microbial Activity; Greenhouse gases; Biogeochemistry; Climate; Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment; Natural Resources and Conservation; Oil; Gas; and Energy; Soil Science; Sustainability; Canada; Fort McMurray
• Online Access: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1792; https://scholars.wlu.ca/context/etd/article/2898/viewcontent/FC_Nwaishi_PhD_Thesis.pdf

Peatlands have a unique biogeochemical function, characterized by an imbalance between the rates of biomass accumulation and decomposition. These characteristics facilitate the ability of peatlands to support the sequestration of nutrients and carbon. In disturbed peatlands, these functions are compromised. Thus, reclamation targets amongst other key functions, the recovery of biogeochemical functioning. These functions could serve as a measure of recovery to conditions that are present in natural analogues. This thesis examines the recovery of microbially-mediated nutrient transformation processes in a fen peatland that was constructed on a post-mining landscape in the Athabasca oil sands region, Fort McMurray, Alberta. The major themes of this thesis examined (1) the concept of developing a functional-based approach for evaluating the functioning and trajectory of the constructed fen, (2) the impacts of donor-peat management practices on the resulting peat quality and the potential implications to the ecohydrological functioning of the constructed fen, (3) the evolution of above and below-ground nutrient transformation processes among different revegetation strategies in the constructed fen, and (4) the effect of revegetation and edaphic variables on the greenhouse gas (GHG) dynamics of the constructed fen. The concept of developing a functional-based approach for evaluating the functioning of a constructed fen was examined by synthesizing the dominant processes of peatland development. The interactions and feedback processes that underlie various peatland ecosystem functions and their quantifiable variables were identified through this synthesis. This also highlighted the sensitivity of microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes to a range of variability in other ecosystem processes. As an alternative to the bio-indicator approach, microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes present potential functional indicators of ecosystem function. The impact of donor-peat management practices on the ecohydrological ...