Across Canada's boreal forest, disturbances from in situ oil sands mining, including well-pads, significantly impact vast areas of the landscape. The creation of well-pads requires removal of vegetation and placement of mineral fill, which essentially stops any carbon (C) sequestration on the once peatland ecosystem. It is important that, once no longer in use, these well-pads are restored as long-term C (peat) accumulation is what defines peatland ecosystem. However, little is known about the recovery of greenhouse gas exchange post-restoration of these features. We studied a decommissioned well-pad located in a treed poor fen that was restored using three soil adjustment treatments (SATs): (1) complete mineral fill removal (Peat-Dec); (2) partial pad removal and burial under peat layer (BUPL); and (3) mixing mineral and peat by inversion (Mixed-P-M). The recreated peat surface was revegetated with donor peatland species using the moss layer transfer technique (MLTT). The objectives of this paper were to (1) quantify plot-scale seasonal carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) exchange of the SATs, 2–4 years post-restoration compared to reference sites and (2) determine the influence of several environmental variables on CO₂ and CH₄ exchange. All SATs proved effective in recreating a soil surface needed to support peatland vegetation as shown by similar rates of net ecosystem exchange (NEE). Equally, both types of vegetation reintroduced led this site on a trajectory toward functioning as a net C sink.

中文翻译：

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受原位油砂井垫 2 影响的北方泥炭地的恢复：温室气体交换动力学

在加拿大的北方森林中，原地油砂开采（包括井场）造成的干扰严重影响了大片景观。建立井垫需要清除植被并放置矿物填充物，这从根本上阻止了曾经的泥炭地生态系统中的任何碳 (C) 封存。重要的是，一旦不再使用，这些井垫就会恢复，因为长期的 C（泥炭）积累是泥炭地生态系统的定义。然而，关于这些特征恢复后温室气体交换的恢复知之甚少。我们研究了一个废弃的井垫，该井垫位于树木繁茂的贫瘠沼泽中，使用三种土壤调整处理 (SAT) 进行了修复：(1) 完全去除矿物质填充物 (Peat-Dec)；(2) 部分焊盘去除和泥炭层下掩埋 (BUPL)；(3)通过反转(Mixed-PM)混合矿物和泥炭。使用苔藓层转移技术 (MLTT) 用供体泥炭地物种对重建的泥炭表面进行重新植被。本文的目的是 (1) 量化地块尺度的季节性二氧化碳 (CO₂ ) 和 SAT 的甲烷 (CH ₄ ) 交换，与参考站点相比，恢复后 2-4 年和 (2) 确定了几个环境变量对 CO ₂和 CH ₄交换的影响。事实证明，所有 SAT 在重建支持泥炭地植被所需的土壤表面方面都是有效的，如净生态系统交换率 (NEE) 所示。同样，重新引入的两种植被都使该地点走上了作为净 C 汇的轨道。