Maria Strack

Maria Strack is a Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Waterloo, focusing on wetland ecosystems. Her research bridges ecology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and soil science to understand greenhouse gas dynamics in peatlands.

• Current projects include peatland restoration after industrial disturbances (e.g., oil sands mining, horticultural peat extraction).
• She investigates climate change impacts via experimental manipulation of temperature and water table levels to assess feedbacks on carbon cycling.

Research interests emphasize:

• Greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, CH4, N2O) in natural, disturbed, and restored peatlands.
• Ecohydrology and organic soil physics in wetland systems.
• Methane dynamics, including subsurface storage and geophysical monitoring techniques.

Her recent publications highlight applications of remote sensing and experimental ecology to map methane release and evaluate restoration success. Collaborations span Alberta oil sands and boreal peatlands, with a focus on carbon accumulation and climate feedbacks.

Scientific recognition:

• Named a Canada Research Chair for her leadership in wetland carbon dynamics.

Maria supervises graduate research in soil greenhouse gas fluxes, peatland restoration, and mitigation of land-use change emissions. She leads the Wetland Soils and Greenhouse Gas Exchange Lab, integrating multidisciplinary approaches to address climate-ecosystem interactions.