Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands
The extent and distribution of tropical peatlands, and their importance as a vulnerable carbon (C) store, remain poorly quantified. Although large peatland complexes in Peru, the Congo basin, and Southeast Asia have been mapped in detail, information on many other tropical areas is uncertain. In the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174457 |
| _version_ | 1855538072875171840 |
|---|---|
| author | Uhde, A. Hoyt, A. M. Hess, L. Schmullius, C. Mendoza, E. Benavides, J. C. Trumbore, S. Martin-Lopez, Javier Mauricio Skillings‐Neira, P. N. Winton, R. S. |
| author_browse | Benavides, J. C. Hess, L. Hoyt, A. M. Martin-Lopez, Javier Mauricio Mendoza, E. Schmullius, C. Skillings‐Neira, P. N. Trumbore, S. Uhde, A. Winton, R. S. |
| author_facet | Uhde, A. Hoyt, A. M. Hess, L. Schmullius, C. Mendoza, E. Benavides, J. C. Trumbore, S. Martin-Lopez, Javier Mauricio Skillings‐Neira, P. N. Winton, R. S. |
| author_sort | Uhde, A. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | The extent and distribution of tropical peatlands, and their importance as a vulnerable carbon (C) store, remain poorly quantified. Although large peatland complexes in Peru, the Congo basin, and Southeast Asia have been mapped in detail, information on many other tropical areas is uncertain. In the Eastern Colombian lowlands, peatland area estimates range from 700 km 2 to nearly 60,000 km 2, leading to highly uncertain C stocks. Using new field data, high‐resolution Earth observation (EO), and a random forest approach, we mapped peatlands across Colombian territory East of the Andes below 400 m elevation. We estimated peatland extent using two approaches: a conservative method focused on medium‐to‐high peat probability areas and a more inclusive one accounting for large low‐probability areas. Multiplying these extents by below‐ground carbon density yields a conservative estimate of 0.95 (0.6–1.39 Pg C, 95% confidence interval) over 9,391 km 2 (7,369–11,549 km 2 ) and up to 2.86 Pg C (1.76–4.22 Pg C) across 29,069 km 2 (22,429–36,238 km 2 ). Among four potentially peat‐forming ecosystems identified, palm swamps and floodplain forests contributed most to the peat extent and C stock. We found that most peatland patches were relatively small, covering less than 100 ha. We compared our map to previously published global and pan‐tropical peat maps and found low spatial overlap among them, suggesting that peat maps uninformed by local field information may not precisely specify which landscape areas within a peatland‐rich region are actually peatlands. We further assessed the suitability of different EO and climate variables, highlighting the need for high‐resolution data to capture local heterogeneities in the landscape. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace174457 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| publisherStr | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1744572025-12-08T09:54:28Z Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands Uhde, A. Hoyt, A. M. Hess, L. Schmullius, C. Mendoza, E. Benavides, J. C. Trumbore, S. Martin-Lopez, Javier Mauricio Skillings‐Neira, P. N. Winton, R. S. carbono orgánico del suelo soil spatial analysis suelo análisis espacial peatlands carbon sinks turbera The extent and distribution of tropical peatlands, and their importance as a vulnerable carbon (C) store, remain poorly quantified. Although large peatland complexes in Peru, the Congo basin, and Southeast Asia have been mapped in detail, information on many other tropical areas is uncertain. In the Eastern Colombian lowlands, peatland area estimates range from 700 km 2 to nearly 60,000 km 2, leading to highly uncertain C stocks. Using new field data, high‐resolution Earth observation (EO), and a random forest approach, we mapped peatlands across Colombian territory East of the Andes below 400 m elevation. We estimated peatland extent using two approaches: a conservative method focused on medium‐to‐high peat probability areas and a more inclusive one accounting for large low‐probability areas. Multiplying these extents by below‐ground carbon density yields a conservative estimate of 0.95 (0.6–1.39 Pg C, 95% confidence interval) over 9,391 km 2 (7,369–11,549 km 2 ) and up to 2.86 Pg C (1.76–4.22 Pg C) across 29,069 km 2 (22,429–36,238 km 2 ). Among four potentially peat‐forming ecosystems identified, palm swamps and floodplain forests contributed most to the peat extent and C stock. We found that most peatland patches were relatively small, covering less than 100 ha. We compared our map to previously published global and pan‐tropical peat maps and found low spatial overlap among them, suggesting that peat maps uninformed by local field information may not precisely specify which landscape areas within a peatland‐rich region are actually peatlands. We further assessed the suitability of different EO and climate variables, highlighting the need for high‐resolution data to capture local heterogeneities in the landscape. 2025-04 2025-05-07T09:03:40Z 2025-05-07T09:03:40Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174457 en Open Access application/pdf Wiley Uhde, A.; Hoyt, A.M.; Hess, L.; Schmullius, C.; Mendoza, E.; Benavides, J.C.; Trumbore, S.; Martin-Lopez, J.M.; Skillings‐Neira, P.N.; Winton, R.S. (2025) Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below-ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands. Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences 130(4): 18 p. ISSN: 2169-8953 |
| spellingShingle | carbono orgánico del suelo soil spatial analysis suelo análisis espacial peatlands carbon sinks turbera Uhde, A. Hoyt, A. M. Hess, L. Schmullius, C. Mendoza, E. Benavides, J. C. Trumbore, S. Martin-Lopez, Javier Mauricio Skillings‐Neira, P. N. Winton, R. S. Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands |
| title | Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands |
| title_full | Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands |
| title_fullStr | Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands |
| title_short | Mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below‐ground carbon stocks in Colombia's Eastern Lowlands |
| title_sort | mapping peatland distribution and quantifying peatland below ground carbon stocks in colombia s eastern lowlands |
| topic | carbono orgánico del suelo soil spatial analysis suelo análisis espacial peatlands carbon sinks turbera |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174457 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT uhdea mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT hoytam mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT hessl mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT schmulliusc mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT mendozae mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT benavidesjc mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT trumbores mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT martinlopezjaviermauricio mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT skillingsneirapn mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands AT wintonrs mappingpeatlanddistributionandquantifyingpeatlandbelowgroundcarbonstocksincolombiaseasternlowlands |