Turning Wetlands into Wonderlands
“Wetlands are amazing,” says Sustainability Sciences Professor Dr. Florin Pendea. “There’s no other ecosystem that does as much for the environment as they do.
Wetlands—bogs, marshes, fens, and swamps—make up just three to four per cent of the Earth’s surface, but they store one-third of its soil carbon. “They’re called carbon sinks because they sink CO2 into the soil and keep a big part of it locked in,” he explains.
Besides acting as carbon sinks, wetlands prevent flooding by soaking up excess water, absorbing and purifying heavy metals and other toxins in contaminated water, supporting diverse plant and insect species, and providing food and homes for a multitude of wildlife.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Pendea conducted research in Russia’s Siberian Far East and Canada’s James Bay investigating how ancient tsunamis may have changed the ecology of the North Pacific Ocean’s coastal wetlands. Above, Dr. Pendea takes a sample from a Simcoe County wetland.
Recently, Dr. Pendea has been investigating how human-constructed wetlands can slow climate change. It’s a big challenge, and one he definitely isn’t taking on alone.
“I’m collaborating with communities and organizations to develop policies and nature-based climate solutions that combat climate change at the local level—an approach that can help Canada meet its commitment to zero emissions by 2050.”
Along with these partners, Dr. Pendea has a team of dedicated students—most of them undergraduates—who are carrying out this important research. “Lakehead’s tagline is exceptional and unconventional, and for me that is manifested in students’ lived experience during their studies,” he says. “Our students are exceptional and unconventional, and coming to Lakehead Orillia has been a transformational career experience for me.”
One of the municipalities that Dr. Pendea and his students have been working with is Innisfil, Ontario. In 2021, Innisfil turned its Circle Park recreational area into a wetland, in collaboration with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, because it was often too wet to use, especially in springtime.
They constructed the wetland by diverting overflow water from Lake Simcoe into two depressions they’d dug into the ground. Cattails and bulrushes were then planted around the marsh because without vegetation, wetlands are more of a headache than a solution given the fact that they can emit greenhouse gases. Walking paths and scenic lookouts encircling the area completed the transformation.
“Constructing wetlands is not new,” Dr. Pendea says. “They’ve always been built to collect stormwater run-off and for flood control. What is new are wetlands specifically designed for climate mitigation.”
“Fish, frogs, and especially birds, are dependent on wetlands,” he continues, “and we’ve seen all of these creatures at the Innisfil marsh, as well as hundreds of turtles and a huge muskrat we call Mary.”
Another bonus is that the wetland is redirecting wastewater from nearby houses that’s harmful to lakes and using it to nourish its own plant life.
Dr. Pendea’s research team has been monitoring the Innisfil marsh, and others in southern Ontario, to determine if they continue to sink carbon as they mature and to see if the hotter temperatures caused by climate change will cause wetlands to produce higher levels of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas that wetlands normally produce in small quantities. They’re also currently monitoring Cawthra Mulock near Newmarket, Ontario, a former sod farm that’s been converted into wetlands and wild grasslands.
“Nature-based solutions are a crucial weapon in our existential battle against climate change,” Dr. Pendea says. “Our economies can’t withstand the crop losses, floods, fires, and destruction of cities caused by extreme weather.”
Research students sample greenhouse gases using instruments called static dark chambers—very tall airtight acrylic tubes planted in the ground to capture soil greenhouse gas emissions. Students also take soil samples to investigate the role that microbial communities play in the ecosystem.
