The Frank Lake wetland near High River is one of the many Prairie wetlands that will be included in the study. (Photo: University of Lethbridge)

By Justin Goulet

Project involving Lethbridge scientists to study role wetlands play in fighting climate change

Nov 25, 2022 | 11:18 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A study involving multiple researchers across Canada will take a deep dive into the role wetlands play in combatting climate change.

Dr. Larry Flanagan and Dr. Matthew Bogard from the University of Lethbridge are two of the researchers involved in the study led by Dr. Irena Creed. Creed is the vice-principal of research and innovation at the University of Toronto, Scarborough.

The project will help build a scientific understanding of wetlands, their function, and the services that they provide.

Creed stated, “There’s an assumption that nature is storing carbon to a certain degree, but we need stronger evidence to truly know how effective wetlands are as a nature-based climate solution.”

Dr. Matthew Bogard, an aquatic scientist, said that the work being done is “highly relevant to southern Alberta and the Lethbridge area.”

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He noted that, “Wetland protection and restoration is front and center in many discussions related to sustainable agriculture and watershed management.”

Dr. Bogard’s team will contribute to the project by measuring greenhouse gas content in the water that is accumulating in wetlands across the country.

Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole region will be in focus. The University of Lethbridge explained that is an area of the Great Plains in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with shallow wetlands that are the result of glacial activity. The team will calculate the rate of emissions of the most potent greenhouse gases 0 carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Through their research, the team will be able to provide a comprehensive estimate of how wetlands influence the planet’s climate.

Dr. Larry Flanagan, a terrestrial ecologist, added, “This project is also key to broadening our knowledge about the part wetlands can play in mitigating climate change.”

Flanagan’s team will utilize a sensitive sampling technique called eddy covariance that continuously tracks exchanges of carbon dioxide and methane between wetlands and the atmosphere. In addition, they will assess wetland ecosystem responses to environmental conditions like drought, warmer temperatures, and nutrient pollution.

Their research will help to evaluate the contributions that nature-based solutions make to reduce the effects of climate change.

Wetlands offer important ecological services for wildlife, humans, and climate. They provide habitat for fish and other wildlife, store floodwaters and maintain surface water during dry periods.

Additionally, wetlands can store large amounts of carbon, which the University of Lethbridge notes is a benefit to fighting climate change. However, wetlands can also emit large quantities of methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas.

Dr. Irena Creed said that wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world.

This project is being funded in part by the federal government’s Climate Action and Awareness Fund. The fund is an investment of $206 million over five years for Canadian-made projects that help reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The partnership will include researchers from six different Canadian universities, as well as seven non-academic organizations representing government and conservation agencies led by Ducks Unlimited Canada. An extra $4 million will be invested in the initiative by various non-academic partners.

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