Groundwater-surface water interactions in the western boreal plain of Alberta

C. Thompson, C.A. Mendoza, K.J. Devito

In the proceedings of: GeoMontréal 2013: 66th Canadian Geotechnical Conference; 11th joint with IAH-CNC

Session: Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions II

ABSTRACT: Oil sands mining in northern Alberta, Canada, has disturbed large areas of peatlands that will require restoration to an equivalent capability. Available guidelines for re-establishing wetlands in the region stress the importance of implementing sufficient upland area within the closure landscape to allow for adequate runoff generation and groundwater exchange. However, observations from undisturbed peatlands in a similar climatic setting suggest that limited water is derived from the upland areas. Instead, the direction of groundwater flow may be predominately from peatland to hillslope. Numerical simulations using an integrated groundwater-surface water model (HydroGeoSphere) were consistent with field measurements, indicating that little water is transferred from the forested hillslopes to the peatlands in this climate.

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Cite this article:
C. Thompson; C.A. Mendoza; K.J. Devito (2013) Groundwater-surface water interactions in the western boreal plain of Alberta in GEO2013. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{GeoMon2013Paper697,author = C. Thompson; C.A. Mendoza; K.J. Devito,title = Groundwater-surface water interactions in the western boreal plain of Alberta,year = 2013}