(or when an undergraduate job and a 1988 movie combine to inspire hydrological discovery!)

Over 15 Mha of the Canadian landscape burned in the 2023 wildfire season releasing an estimated 400 Mt of carbon, which exceeds Canada's average annual fossil fuel emissions. The most area burned in Canada's recorded history also resulted in record air quality alerts across Canada. Driving much of the wildfire carbon and particulate matter emissions was the deep burning of boreal peat soils (fire swamps).  Peat fires can smoulder underground through the winter (zombie fires) increasing fire suppression costs. Given that wildfire activity and area burned are increasing in Canada and that Canada is home to 25% of the world's northern peatlands, understanding the ecohydrological controls and impacts of peat fires is becoming increasingly important to wildfire managers, health experts, and land managers.

This Woo Lecture examines the ecohydrology of peatlands and wildfire.  While this lecture presents a summary of McMaster Ecohydrology Lab early career researcher led experimental, laboratory, and modelling ecohydrological studies from the last 15 years, the influences and inspirations of this research started over 35 years ago.  In 1988 I was working as an undergraduate peatland hydrology research assistant for Hok Woo and became fascinated by fire swamp burning peat and spontaneously combusting gas bubbles (Wil 'O the Wisp) in the movie "The Princess Bride".  With references to 1980s pop culture and Hok Woo original "hydrological art" I will discuss how these experiences influenced my approach to peatland and wildfire ecohydrology.