Water Stewardship Information Sources

Citation Howie, SA and van Meerveld, HJ. 2013. Regional and local patterns in depth to water table, hydrochemistry and peat properties of bogs and their laggs in coastal British Columbia. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 17:3421-3435.
Organization SFU
URL http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/17/3421/2013/hess-17-3421-2013.html
Abstract/Description or Keywords In restoration planning for damaged raised bogs,
the lagg at the bog margin is often not given considerable
weight and is sometimes disregarded entirely. However, the
lagg is critical for the proper functioning of the bog, as it
supports the water mound in the bog. In order to include the
lagg in a restoration plan for a raised bog, it is necessary
to understand the hydrological characteristics and functions
of this rarely studied transition zone. We studied 13 coastal
British Columbia (BC) bogs and identified two different gradients
in depth to water table, hydrochemistry and peat properties:
(1) a local bog expanse–bog margin gradient, and (2)
a regional gradient related to climate and proximity to the
ocean. Depth to water table generally increased across the
transition from bog expanse to bog margin. In the bog expanse,
pH was above 4.2 in the Pacific Oceanic wetland region
(cooler and wetter climate) and below 4.3 in the Pacific
Temperate wetland region (warmer and drier climate). Both
pH and pH-corrected electrical conductivity increased significantly
across the transition from bog expanse to bog margin,
though not in all cases. Na+ and Mg2+ concentrations
were generally highest in exposed, oceanic bogs and lower
in inland bogs. Ash content in peat samples increased across
the bog expanse–bog margin transition, and appears to be a
useful abiotic indicator of the location of the bog margin.
The observed variation in the hydrological and hydrochemical
gradients across the bog expanse–bog margin transition
highlights both local and regional diversity of bogs and their
associated laggs.
Information Type article
Regional Watershed Lower Fraser
Sub-watershed if known
Aquifer #
Comments
Project status complete
Contact Name Sarah Howie
Contact Email [email protected]