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Seawater contamination of a harvested bog: Hydrological aspects

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Abstract

A low-lying coastal harvested bog in New Brunswick was inundated by a storm surge in January 2000 and commercially abandoned due to saltwater contamination. This study examines the hydrological processes controlling the seasonal and annual variability of salinity, and its long-term persistence. In the summer period there were two distinct hydrological zones characterized by differences in salinity, elevation, compressibility, soil moisture content, and water-table position. Low-lying sites had higher and more stable surface salinity concentrations (mean 5.7‰, coefficient of variation 0.57) than slightly elevated sites (mean 2.9%., coefficient of variation 1.13) that experienced more evaporative enrichment. Salts permeated the peat column to a depth of at least 95 cm, with peak salinity occurring 35–75 cm below the surface. A persistent downward hydraulic gradient also indicated downward advective transport of salts, suggesting that over the long term salts will be leached out of the system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wetlands Research Centre and Department of Geography, University of Waterloo, N2L 3G1, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Sarah M. Mouneimne & Jonathan S. Price

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  1. Sarah M. Mouneimne
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  2. Jonathan S. Price
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Mouneimne, S.M., Price, J.S. Seawater contamination of a harvested bog: Hydrological aspects. Wetlands 27, 355–365 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1672/0277-5212(2007)27[355:SCOAHB]2.0.CO;2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1672/0277-5212(2007)27[355:SCOAHB]2.0.CO;2

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