Bisected Bog Paper Data, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia

This data is associated with a manuscript in the Canadian Journal or Water Resource. The abstract for the manuscript is provided below.

In flat terrain and humid climates, raised bogs can form the topographic watershed boundary of protected source watersheds. In these cases, only half of the “bisected bog” is protected. We consider if these bisected bogs should be included in source water protection areas by exploring how drainage in the unprotected side of the bog may impact the protected watershed. Groundwater monitoring and slug tests were performed in a transect of piezometers in a large, bisected bog in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada to constrain a groundwater flow model. Under varying drainage scenarios (1 m, 3 m and complete harvest), simulations showed that the groundwater divide shifts 41 to 398 m inwards, 219,000 m3 to 1,570,000 m3 of water storage are lost and up to 23,600 to 156,100 tonnes of soil carbon become unstable. These findings suggest that it is illogical to protect only part of a bisected bog and that the entire bog should be protected to preserve hydrologic functionality. A GIS analysis revealed that bisected bogs are common in source water protection areas in the province. We provide recommendations for water managers to identify and address bisected wetlands to improve source water protection and maintain wetland ecosystem services.