Long-term monitoring of peatlands located near oil sands mining activities surrounding Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada (2009-Present)

Oil sands mining activities in the Fort McMurray region of Alberta, Canada, have led to increased atmospherically deposited nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S), with N steadily increasing over time and S peaking in 2009, then decreasing with the installation of scrubbers on upgrader stacks. Ecosystems (such as ombrotrophic bogs) near these mining activities see an increase to their depositional load. These peatlands are isolated from groundwater and receive inputs only from precipitation, making them uniquely susceptible to changing depositional scenarios. To evaluate the effect of oil sands development on bogs in this area, since 2009, we have collected and analyzed porewater (pH, conductivity, NH 4 + -N, NO 3 - -N, SO 4 2- -S, and total dissolved N), N and S as represented in extractions of ion exchange resin precipitation collectors (NH 4 + -N, NO 3 - -N, SO 4 2- -S), samples of new growth from the most dominant plant species (C, N, and S, with Ca, Mg, K, and P analyzed in later years), and have recorded annual growth of vegetation. For a majority of the years, we have sampled at least 3 times (June, July, and August). Some sites have burned and have been replaced by others, however, collections are on-going and data from these collections are uploaded as they are published.加拿大阿尔伯塔省麦克默里堡地区的油砂采矿活动，已引发大气沉降的氮（N）与硫（S）负荷升高，其中氮随时间呈稳步上升趋势，硫则在2009年达到峰值，随后随着安装于升级装置烟囱的洗涤器投用而逐步降低。上述采矿活动周边的生态系统（如贫营养泥炭沼泽（ombrotrophic bogs））的沉降负荷有所增加。这类泥炭地与地下水隔绝，仅通过降水获取养分输入，因此对沉降情景的变化具备独特的敏感性。为评估油砂开发对该区域泥炭沼泽的影响，研究团队自2009年起开展了多类样品的采集与分析工作：包括孔隙水（检测指标涵盖pH、电导率、NH₄⁺-N、NO₃⁻-N、SO₄²⁻-S及总溶解氮）；离子交换树脂降水收集器（ion exchange resin precipitation collectors）提取物中的氮、硫（检测指标为NH₄⁺-N、NO₃⁻-N、SO₄²⁻-S）；区域优势植物物种的新生组织样品（早期测定碳、氮、硫含量，后续年份额外分析钙、镁、钾及磷含量），同时同步记录植被的年生长量。多数采样年份的采样频次至少为3次（6月、7月及8月）。部分采样点曾发生火灾并被其他站点替代，但数据采集工作仍在持续进行，相关采集所得的数据将随研究成果发表同步上传。