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Friday, 27 April 2018
SAM Newsletter #15 Spring 2018
Tuesday, 13 March 2018
Part 3 Wetlands Against Climate Change! Hold Back the Gates: Wetlands mitigate flooding
Long term weather patterns have been altered because of climate change, and more frequently include extreme weather events (see table below for some examples of altered weather patterns). According to a study published in Nature in 2015, climate change can be held responsible for three out of four temperature extremes, and almost 1/5 of heavy
precipitation events globally. The study also states that on average the globe will experience 60% more
extreme weather events. Heavy rains will be longer in duration, as more water
evaporates due to the increase in global temperatures.
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| Change in weather patters due to climate change. "Climate change 101 fact sheet" |
Wetlands help mitigate these extreme weather events in a few different ways, including controlling flood
waters, purifying polluted water, and moderating drought. In this edition of Wetlands against Climate Change, we are going to look at
how wetlands can “hold back the gates” and help mitigate flooding.
Wetlands are often compared to a sponge, because of their water-absorbing and holding abilities. For example peatlands have thick peaty soils, intricate mats of sphagnum moss and the roots of the peatland vegetation layer, that are able to absorb rainfall and snow-melt at amazing rates. According to a study done by Hallock et al in 2015 a 1 acre wetland that is 30 cm can hold 1.2 million liters of water. Once fully saturated, wetlands reduce the speed and volume of the water that enters the watershed. The water is forced to slowly percolate through the peaty soils and web of moss and roots. This allows water levels downstream to rise and fall slowly, so the whole system can adjust to the influx of excess water. Even relatively small wetlands can help protect large watersheds. According to a study done by Godschalk et al in 1999 a 2.3 hectare wetland can retain the natural runoff from a 166 hectare watershed!
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| Squeezing water from sphagnum moss. (Photo by David Palmer) |
Wetlands do an incredible job of holding floodwaters, and
they do it for free! This is just one of the many ecosystem services that
wetlands provide. Researchers at the University of Waterloo, using computer
simulations, found that leaving wetlands intact can reduce the financial costs
of flooding by up to 29% in rural settings and up to 38% in urban settings. For example, at the urban study site, the average cost of flood damages if
wetlands are maintained in their natural state would be $84.5 million, compared
to $135 million if the wetland is replaced with agricultural development,
resulting in a 38% cost increase. In the same study, if the wetland is
replaced with urban development consisting of largely impermeable surfaces such
as buildings, roads, sidewalks and parking lots, the cost savings of keeping the wetland intact is even higher.
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| Natural urban wetland in Newfoundland. (Photo by Emma Bocking, DUC) |
If you add the other free ecosystem
services provided by wetlands, including habitat protection, increased
biodiversity, water purification, drought mitigation and carbon sequestration, it seems like a no brainer… wetlands save money and are an important
part of Canadians self-identity.
Unfortunately, wetlands around the world have been part of a vanishing act. It is estimated that in the last 100 years 64% of the world’s wetlands have been destroyed through agriculture, dams, infrastructure and an increase in pollution. In agricultural practices, wetlands are ditched and drained in order to support crop growth. Draining has a negative impact on a wetland’s ability to mitigate flooding, and can lead to an 350% water flow increase during large flood events. As a result of wetland loss, floods caused by extreme weather events are more likely to cause damage in the form of soil erosion, property damage, loss of wildlife habitat, and loss of human life.
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| Jesso family home, Benoits cove, NL January 2018 (Photo by CBC NL) |
1) Report activities in conservation areas that can harm wetlands like ditching or draining
2) Advocate for careful town planning that keep natural wetlands intact
3) Plant local and native plant species in your gardens and in your community
4) Avoid damaging wetlands on private property by keeping them an intact part of the larger system
5) Spread the word through outreach and education that wetlands are important to your community!
Flood mitigation is just one way in which wetlands can help during extreme weather events. Join us for our next blog “Keeping it Clean: Wetlands purifying water”!
Resources:
CBC News “Don’t Drain the Swamp: Reports says wetlands help
avert flood damage” Website. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/floods-wetlands-university-waterloo-feltmate-intact-climate-change-insurance-1.4199358
Ducks Unlimited Canada. “Wetland and Flood mitigation in
Ontario: Natural Adaptions to climate Change” PDF/PowerPoint https://adaptationcanada2016.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Th3A-Steele.pdf
Environment Canada. 2009. “How Canadians Value Nature: A
strategic and conceptual review of literature and research” http://www.biodivcanada.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=900A6FFF-1
Ficher, E. M., R. Knutti. “Anthropogenic Contribution to
global occurrence of heavy-precipitation and high-temperature extremes” https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2617
Nature Climate Change, 5, 560 – 564 (2015).
Godschalk, D. R., Beatley, T., Berke, P. R., Brower, D. J.,
and Kaiser, E. J. (1999). Natural hazard mitigation: Recasting disaster policy
and planning, Island Press, Washington, D.C.
Human Nature “5 things you should know about wetlands”
Website. https://blog.conservation.org/2018/02/5-things-you-should-know-about-wetlands/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuP7UBRDiARIsAFpxiRJpRtmrd9oORvff_ac-bItm9uWkO5hz128EYtYSrYcxFenOqEZFWOEaAnlWEALw_wcB
Huber, Daniel G. , Jay Gulledge. “Extreme Weather &
Climate Change: Understanding the Link and Managing the Risk” Center for
Climate and Energy Solutions: December 2011. PDF https://www.c2es.org/site/assets/uploads/2011/12/white-paper-extreme-weather-climate-change-understanding-link-managing-risk.pdf
Pomeroy, K. Shook “Improving and Testing Prarie Hydrological
Model at Smith Creek Research Basin” PDF. http://www.usask.ca/hydrology/papers/Pomeroy_et_al_2014.pdf
Ramsar Fact Sheet #1 “Wetland Ecosystem Services: Flood
control” PDF. https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/services_01_e.pdf
The Guardian “Extreme weather already on increase due to climate
change, study finds” Website. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/27/extreme-weather-already-on-increase-due-to-climate-change-study-finds
Water Canada. “Wetlands important for mitigating flood
impacts” Website. https://www.watercanada.net/study-wetlands-important-for-mitigation-of-flooding-impacts/
Watershed Council Tip of the Mitt. “Climate Change” Website. https://www.watershedcouncil.org/climate-change.html
“When the Big storm Hits” University of Waterloo. PDF. http://www.intactcentreclimateadaptation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/When-the-Big-Storms-Hit.pdf
Photos & Images:
Climate Change 101 Factsheet “Improve your project’s
success: Consider Climate Change” PDF http://ecoadapt.org/data/documents/Climate101FactSheet.pdf
www.freshwaterfuture.org and www.ecoadapter.org
CBC NL “Residents reeling from ‘unprecedented’ flooding on
Newfoundland’s west coast” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/safety-priority-unprecedented-flooding-newfoundland-west-coast-1.4486657
(Jesso family home, Benoits Cove)
Squeezing
water from Sphagnum moss © David Palmar www.photoscot.co.uk https://www.plantlife.org.uk/scotland/blog/our-flanders-moss-event-the-other-day-was-one-full-of-fun-and-information
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
SAM Newsletter #14 Winter 2018
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Tuesday, 6 February 2018
Part 2 - Wetlands against Climate Change! Perfectly Peaty: How Peatlands are an Amazing Carbon Sink
18% of Canada is covered in wetlands, and they comprise a
quarter of all the wetlands on earth! Canada’s wetlands include peatlands, a specific type of wetland also known as bogs
and fens, that produce peat (See SAM Blog "Know your Wetland Classes" to learn more about types of
wetlands!) In Newfoundland and Labrador, bogs and fens are very common and you
don’t have to go far in to get your boots stuck in thick peat.
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| Boots on the ground in the peat bog at Gosse's Pond Management Unit in Torbay, Newfoundland |
Climate change scientists have stated that peatlands are very
important when it comes to carbon sequestration. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have listed the restoration of peat soils as a mechanism
of mitigation against climate change. But what is peat and how is it formed? How does peat store carbon? And what can
we do as communities and individuals to advocate for climate change mitigation?
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| Peatland in Western Newfoundland |
Peat is composed almost entirely of decayed and decomposing
organic matter.
Depending on the peatland, the organic matter can be made up of different
mosses, sedges, and other herbaceous plants. When these plants die they
decompose very slowly. Decomposition rates vary across different peatlands, but
in general decomposition requires oxygen, and the waterlogged habitats of
peatlands reduce the amount of oxygen available, which in turn slows the
decomposition process. In northern wetlands the accumulation
of slowly decomposing peat happens over a millennia. According to a study at Laval University, it takes thousands of years to develop peat soils between 1.5
– 2.3m thick in northern peatlands. Most of the peatlands that exist
today were formed after the last ice age over 15,000 years ago.
In Newfoundland and Labrador a common type of peatland is a sphagnum
bog, made up of mostly sphagnum moss. Sphagnum has been referred to as a “bogbuilder” because of its ability to seemingly “create” the wetland.
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| Sphagnum moss in Pippy Park, St. John's, NL and diagram of individual sphagnum plant |
A Sphagnum bog is
made up of thousands of individual plants. The tops of the plants are exposed
to the sun and photosynthesize, meaning they use carbon dioxide to produce
sugars and food, and release oxygen as a bi-product. Sphagnum is very good at “bog building” or
creating peat because underneath the leaves on the surface are a long trails of dead
and decomposing leaves (See the brown leaves in the diagram on the right). These dead leaves are specialized to hold up to 3 times
their weight in water, which helps to facilitate an anaerobic peatland
environment, slow decomposition and the ‘building’ of bogs or peatlands.
Peatlands naturally expel carbon dioxide and methane, both
of which are greenhouse gases, but because the rate of decomposition is so
slow, they are able to store much more carbon and then they release, becoming a
carbon sink rather than a carbon source. It has been estimated that globally peatlands contain at least 550 Gt of Carbon which is double the amount stored in the world’s forests (see graph below for a comparison of carbon stored in terrestrial habitats!). Peatlands alone cover an estimated 3% of the world’s land area, but they
hold 30% of the terrestrial carbon.
Also, because it takes thousands of years for peatlands to develop they are
considered the most important long term carbon store in the terrestrial
biosphere. Some people consider peatlands to be the most efficient carbon sink on the
planet!
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| Carbon stored in terrestrial habitats Source; http://csites.eds.oinl.gov/faqs.html |
As amazing as they are, peatlands and wetlands are also very vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. Scientists have estimated that at least 64% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1900. Pressures from agriculture, animal grazing, water diversion, infrastructure, and pollution are driving the loss of wetlands globally
So what happens if a
bog is disturbed? When peatlands are
burned or drained for (i.e. for agriculture) they go from being a carbon sink to a carbon source. According to an assessment of peatlands, biodiversity and climate change prepared
for the United Nations Environmental Programme, carbon dioxide emissions from peatland
fires, drainage and extraction is equal to 3000 million tonnes per annum or more
than 10% of all annual fossil fuel emissions per year. Without careful conservation the
mitigating effects of peatlands will be lost and the anthropogenic destruction
of peatlands will instead contribute to climate change.
To safeguard these incredible habitats, communities can take
action in many ways! For example, organizing clean ups in local wetlands can
help keep wetlands healthy and raise their public profile. Also, municipalities
and residents can show their support for wetland policies that promote the
sustainable use of wetlands and practice sustainable fishing, tourism, and
agriculture.
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| Municipal Representatives during the SAM Fall Meeting 2017 visiting the Corduroy Brook Nature Trail, a Management Unit in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL |
SAM communities have already taken the first step in
recognizing the values of wetlands by designating conservation areas within
their municipal boundaries. Let’s keep the momentum moving and become Wetland
Ambassadors by advocating for the sustainable use of wetlands to help mitigate
Climate Change!
So the next time your boot gets stuck in a bog when you are
looking for bakeapples remember, peatlands are doing their part to mitigate
climate change and by protecting them, we are doing our part for generations to
come! Join us next month and learn more about wetlands flood mitigating
properties in “Hold back the Gates: Wetlands mitigating flooding”! For more information on peatlands and climate change check out the resources below!
Resources:
1.
“Assessment on peatlands, biodiversity and
climate change: Executive summary” 2007 – 2008 UNEP-GEF http://ledsgp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Assessment-on-peatlands-biodiversity-and-climate-change-executive-summary.compressed.pdf
2.
Ayers, Peter. Field Bryology 110, http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/activities/field%20bryology/FB110/FB110_Ayres_Sphagnum.pdf
3.
Barbier,
Edward, Mike Acreman and Duncan Knowler “Economic Valuation of Wetlands: A
guide for policy makers and planners” Ramsar Convention Bureau,
1997. https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/lib/lib_valuation_e.pdf
4.
Bengtsson,
Fia, Gustaf Granath, Hakan Rydin “Photosynthesis, growth, and decay traits in Sphagnum – A multispecies comparison”.
Ecology and Evolution, 2016 May 6(10):3325-3341. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4833502/
5.
Ducks
Unlimited Canada “Researching Peatlands for Restoration” October 2015. http://www.ducks.ca/stories/boreal-forest/researching-and-restoring-peatlands/
6.
Government of
Canada, Environment and Natural Resources “Water Sources: Wetlands” https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/water-overview/sources/wetlands.html
7.
Irish
Peatland Conservation Council, website “Sphagnum Moss – The Bog Builder” http://www.ipcc.ie/a-to-z-peatlands/sphagnum-moss-the-bog-builder/
8.
Hugron, Sandrine, Julie Bussieres and
Line Rochefort. “Tree plantations within the context of ecological restoration
of peatlands: practical guide. Peatland Ecology research group, Universite
Laval. 2013. http://www.gret-perg.ulaval.ca/uploads/tx_centrerecherche/Tree_Plantation_guide.pdf
9.
North
Carolina State University (NCSU) Water Quality Group. “Water Shedss: Functions
of Wetlands (Processes) http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/wetlands/function.html
10.
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) “Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report 4.
Adaptation and mitigation options. https://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/syr/en/spms4.html
11.
Ovenden, Lynn. “Peat Accumulation in Northern Wetlands”
Science Direct, 1990. 33:3 Pg 377-386https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/003358949090063Q?showall%3Dtrue%26via%3Dihub
12.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Fact Sheet 8 “Keeping
Peatlands wet for a better future” 2015 https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/fs_8_peatlands_en_v5.pdf
13.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Fact Sheet
3 “Wetlands: a global disappearing act” 2015 https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/factsheet3_global_disappearing_act_0.pdf
14.
Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands, Fact Sheet #1 “Wetlands: Why should I care?” 2015 https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/factsheet1_why_should_i_care_0.pdf
15.
Rice, S.K. “Mosses (Bryophytes)” Reference
module in earth systems and environmental science, Encyclopedia of inland
waters. 2009. Pages 88 – 96. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123706263002192
16.
Secretariat, North American wetlands
conservation council (Canada) “Wetlands Stewardship in Canada: Contributed
papers from the Conference on Canadian Wetlands Stewardship”. 2003/ Canadian
Wildlife Services, Environment Canada http://nawcc.wetlandnetwork.ca/Rep03-2e.pdf
Photos and images:
Image graph of carbon in terrestrial biomes: http://csite.eds.ornl.gov/faqs.html or http://ledsgp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Assessment-on-peatlands-biodiversity-and-climate-change-executive-summary.compressed.pdf
Image graph of carbon in terrestrial biomes: http://csite.eds.ornl.gov/faqs.html or http://ledsgp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Assessment-on-peatlands-biodiversity-and-climate-change-executive-summary.compressed.pdf
Photo of moss mat: D. Pelley, 2017, Pippy Park, NL
Photo of Lark Harbour Peatland, NL L. King, 2017, Lark
Harbour, NL
Photo of SAM Fall Meeting 2017 D. Pelley, 2017, Grand Falls-Windsor, NL
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