Quantifying the Impact of Seismic Lines on Methane Release in a Treed Bog Ecosystem using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Peatlands are extremely complex and sensitive ecosystems, capable of releasing vast amounts of methane in response to disturbance events. To date, little advancement has been made by researchers to quantify the impact of small-scale anthropogenic disturbances on these ecosystems, specifically seismic lines. These “low-impact” linear features present a challenge to researchers as they exist at dimensions too small for the majority of remote-sensing platforms to successfully identify and measure, even though they account for a considerable portion of land disturbance in Canada’s western Boreal, and are anticipated to have extensive, compounding environmental effects. This thesis summarizes how unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry can be used to address this knowledge gap by showcasing the ability to generate accurate peatland terrain models, and subsequently estimate seismic-line impacts on both physical parameters (microtopography and depth-to-water) and peatland methane emission, ultimately revealing one of the hidden impacts of seismic lines on Canada’s Boreal peatlands.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geography

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Arts

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Lovitt, Julie

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• McDermid, Gregory

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Strack, Maria
• Bergerson, Joule

• boreal bog
• methane emissions
• earth observation
• unmanned aerial vehicle
• microtopography
• peatland hydrology
• boreal peatland

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/5257

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/106259