Three decades of research at Mer Bleue bog: results, unknowns and integration (Tim Moore, McGill University)

Three decades ago, a group of ‘peatland people’ established a research site at Mer Bleue, a
large ombrotrophic bog east of Ottawa, with the intent of determining the bog’s carbon cycling
by establishing experiments and making measurements over several years, in contrast to the
popular but short-lived studies such as the Northern Wetland Study and BOREAS. The site
represented an important peatland class in southern Canada, was readily accessible and was
under protection by the National Capital Commission. The range of studies included
greenhouse gas exchange measurements with an eddy covariance tower working continuously
since 1998, a series of automatic gas exchange chambers, plant ecology studies including the
effect of adding nutrients to this very nutrient-poor bog, biogeochemical processes, the use of
remote sensing by planes and drones to provide spatial extrapolation and the development and
application of models. Critical to the success of this research were collaboration among
research groups, annual workshops and continually asking what important questions remain
unanswered. We emphasize how small research facilities, such as Mer Bleue, can make a
contribution without major institutional commitments from universities and government
agencies.