From grasslands to boreal forests, Saskatchewan has some of the most dynamic ecosystems in the country and is home to equally complex water systems. Researchers like Dr. Colin Whitfield (Ph.D.), associate professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability and member of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), are keeping a close eye on Saskatchewan's water landscape.

"As a biogeochemist and environmental scientist, I'm really interested in understanding the impacts that various stressors have on ecosystems," said Whitfield. "I often look at the watershed scale, understanding how movement of water across landscapes affects processes like clean air and water."

Saskatchewan is home to roughly 4.6 million acres of wetlands which blanket more than 47 million acres of agricultural land. Known as the Prairie Pothole Region, these shallow pools of water were left behind after glaciers receded and have been a part of the landscape for thousands of years.

Using a new modeling framework, Whitfield and his colleagues illustrated the significance of wetland drainage and the complexity of water systems in the Prairie region in a recently published paper in FACETS.

"Wetlands are abundant on the Prairie landscape, but in areas used for agriculture, they can pose challenges for production," said Whitfield. "On the flipside, they are incredibly valuable to society for the ecosystem services they provide."

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