An expert system model for mapping tropical wetlands and peatlands reveals South America as the largest contributor. (9th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gumbricht, Thomas; Roman‐Cuesta, Rosa Maria; Verchot, Louis; Herold, Martin; Wittmann, Florian; Householder, Ethan; Herold, Nadine; Murdiyarso, Daniel
• Is Part Of: Global change biology. Volume 23:Number 9(2017)
• Page Start: 3581
• Page End: 3599
• Publication Date: 2017-05-09
• Subjects: climate change -- land use -- peatlands -- tropics -- wetlands; Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Troposphere -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Biodiversity conservation -- Periodicals; Eutrophication -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13689
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-1013

Abstract

Abstract: Wetlands are important providers of ecosystem services and key regulators of climate change. They positively contribute to global warming through their greenhouse gas emissions, and negatively through the accumulation of organic material in histosols, particularly in peatlands. Our understanding of wetlands' services is currently constrained by limited knowledge on their distribution, extent, volume, interannual flood variability and disturbance levels. We present an expert system approach to estimate wetland and peatland areas, depths and volumes, which relies on three biophysical indices related to wetland and peat formation: (1) long‐term water supply exceeding atmospheric water demand; (2) annually or seasonally water‐logged soils; and (3) a geomorphological position where water is supplied and retained. Tropical and subtropical wetlands estimates reach 4.7 million km 2 (Mkm 2 ). In line with current understanding, the American continent is the major contributor (45%), and Brazil, with its Amazonian interfluvial region, contains the largest tropical wetland area (800, 720 km 2 ). Our model suggests, however, unprecedented extents and volumes of peatland in the tropics (1.7 Mkm 2 and 7, 268 (6, 076–7, 368) km 3 ), which more than threefold current estimates. Unlike current understanding, our estimates suggest that South America and not Asia contributes the most to tropical peatland area and volume (ca. 44% for both) partly related to some yet unaccounted extended deep deposits but mainly to extended but shallow peat in the Amazon Basin. Brazil leads the peatland area and volume contribution. Asia hosts 38% of both tropical peat area and volume with Indonesia as the main regional contributor and still the holder of the deepest and most extended peat areas in the tropics. Africa hosts more peat than previously reported but climatic and topographic contexts leave it as the least peat‐forming continent. Our results suggest large biases in our current understanding of the distribution, area and volumes of tropical peat and their continental contributions. Abstract : Tropical wetlands and peatlands are key providers of ecosystems services, including a role in global climate regulation. Our understanding of extents, volumes, temporal variability and disturbance levels of these ecosystems is limited and controversial. This research presents an expert system model that offers maps and unbiased estimates of area, volume and continental distributions of tropical wetlands and peatlands, suggesting a major contribution of Latin America for them both. These results are against current understanding and shift the continental peatland contribution outside Asia and into Latin America.