Growing season energy and water exchange from an oil sands overburden reclamation soil cover, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Abstract The oil sands mining industry in Canada is required to return mining areas to a land capability equivalent to that which existed prior to mining. During the reclamation process, ecosystems are created that bear little similarity to boreal forests that existed prior to mining. Quantifying the water balance of reclaimed ecosystems is critical in establishing whether there is sufficient moisture for vegetation growth and in the fate of …