November 2022 Wetland Knowledge Exchange Webinar

Location

Virtual
Canada

Event Date and Time
November 28th, 2022 at 12:00pm MST to November 28th, 2022 at 1:00pm MST

The evaluation of peatland restoration following in situ oil and gas infrastructure disturbances

Meike Lemmer, PhD, Research Scientist at University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf

My PhD was done as a member of the Peatland Ecology Research Group at Université Laval, in collaboration with the Wetland Soils and Greenhouse Gas Exchange Lab at Waterloo University and the NAIT Boreal Research Center.

Abstract

The research done for my PhD evaluated several peatland restoration approaches following the in situ oil sands well pad disturbances in the Peace River and Cold Lake Oil Sands regions in Alberta, Canada. In the early 2000’s, several approaches of ecological peatland restoration following in situ oil extraction had been tested, including the complete and partial removal of the in situ well pad’s mineral soil, as well as the planting of specific vegetation or natural ingress of plant species. The aim of our work was to evaluate the peatland restoration by assessing the vegetation communities, biogeochemistry, and the return of peatland specific functions, specifically the carbon sequestration function, ten years post restoration. We investigated the species composition, the communities’ flux exchange of carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and the peat accumulation in the restored areas at two decommissioned in situ oil sands well pads near Peace River and Cold Lake, a control area, as well as 28 reference areas. In this webinar, I will share the results of our work and discuss suggestions for peatland restoration in the in situ Oil Sands Regions.

This webinar is free of charge and log in information will be provided via email following registration. If you are unable to attend this day, please note the webinars are recorded and will be available for viewing shortly after the webinar concludes at https://vimeo.com/wetlandbmpexchange

The Wetland Knowledge Exchange is the official voice of the Canadian and Conservation Land Management Knowledge Network's Wetland Knowledge Portal (WKP). The Wetland Knowledge Exchange aims to amplify the voice of the WKP to help increase information sharing and foster collaboration amongst diverse stakeholders interested in wetland management, conservation and reclamation. Learn about new Canadian wetland research, news, and events by subscribing to our monthly newsletter, tuning in to our monthly webinar series (or view recordings of past webinars), and following us on Twitter @WetlandExchange. For more information, visit our website or contact us at wbf_bmp@ducks.ca.