Managing Upland Vegetation as a Mitigation Strategy for Climate-Change Effects on Prairie-Pothole Wetlands

Prairie-pothole-wetland water budgets are largely dependent on atmospheric interactions. Modeling of prairie-pothole wetlands has suggested that climate change may cause significant decreases to a wetland?s hydroperiod and ponded-water area. Thus, waterfowl populations are expected to suffer under a changed climate. I performed an in-depth literature review to summarize the effects of climate change and upland management on prairie-pothole wetland hydrology. The literature review was used to determine practices that were utilized in an experimental investigation of the effects of upland management on wetland hydrology. I also used a wetland simulation model to explore the use of grazing and burning to mitigate the effects of climate change on prairie-pothole wetlands. Results from my field experiments and model simulations suggest that increased temperatures will have a significant impact on wetland hydrology, impacts that may be partially mitigated with upland-vegetation management.U.S. Geological Survey grant, Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, North Central Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists, and Natural Resources Management Department of North Dakota State Universit