Context and objectives
Peatlands store about one third of the global soil carbon. There is a tight coupling between hydrological conditions in peatlands and their vegetation and soil properties and greenhouse gas emissions, suggesting that only small changes in groundwater table depths in peatlands in response to human disturbance or climate change can lead to profound changes in peatland functioning. This can turn peatlands from carbon sinks into global hotspots of emissions of soil carbon. To support climate change action, there is an urgent need for the satellite-based estimation of hydrological conditions in peatlands using earth observation (EO) data at multiple scales and from multiple sensors.
The two overarching scientific objectives of EO4PEAT are (1) to enhance the accuracy of peatland hydrological estimates through innovative EO-based monitoring and EO-informed modeling techniques, and (2) to improve the process understanding in peatlands facing different types of human and climate disturbance, in support of climate change research as well as peatland conservation, restoration and management. EO4PEAT is focused on tropical peatlands which are understudied compared to northern peatlands and also present the highest rates of carbon dioxide emissions after being disturbed.
Project outcome
Expected scientific results
The monitoring of changing vegetation and/or hydrological conditions in peatlands alone does not elucidate the underlying processes responsible for these changes. Changes can arise from either climate variability or direct human disturbances to the vegetation and hydrological conditions. Moreover, alterations in river hydrology adjacent to peatlands, which can again be attributed to either climate change or human interference, may also impact peatland conditions. We aim to uncover the root causes of changing conditions in peatlands through an integrated analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Change (LULCC), hydrological observations, data assimilation output, and scenario simulations.
Expected products and services
- Peatland-specific Land Use and Land Cover Change (LULCC) for the two study areas.
- Source code of the first global land surface model with river-peatland interaction.
- Peatland-specific hydrological estimates from EO data and data assimilation.
Potential users
A broad range of stakeholders is involved in the protection, maintenance, restoration, and monitoring of peatlands and represent potential users of the outputs from EO4PEAT. The key stakeholders are governmental agencies and regulatory entities in the study areas, non-governmental organizations, international organizations (e.g. UNEP, FAO, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands), and researchers engaged in the study of peatland ecosystems.
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| Website: | https://ees.kuleuven.be/project/eo4peat | |