Peatland Area Research Articles

Linear Disturbances Shift Boreal Peatland Plant Communities Toward Earlier Peak Greenness

AbstractVast areas of boreal peatlands are impacted by linear disturbances known as seismic lines. Tree removal and ground disturbance alter vegetation communities and are expected to change ecosystem functioning. As boreal landscapes continue to be disturbed by linear disturbances, understanding the magnitude and mechanisms of vegetation and phenology changes is the first step toward predicting carbon cycling changes across broad spatial scales. We investigate seismic line disturbances on peatland plant community composition and phenological patterns using readily available digital photography at a bog and a fen in Alberta, Canada. Our objectives were to: (a) compare the understory peatland vegetation on seismic lines with those in adjacent undisturbed areas using two phenological metrics (green and red chromatic coordinates); (b) evaluate if vegetation greenness is directly related to vegetation community composition, and (c) determine whether plot‐scale greenness predicts plant productivity. We found that areas of peatlands intersected by seismic lines have an earlier seasonal peak (maximum greenness) compared to undisturbed areas, and vegetation communities had a stronger relationship to greenness and gross primary production (GPP) at disturbed areas relative to undisturbed areas. This change in understory vegetation results in greater CO2 uptake in disturbed areas. We demonstrate an easy‐to‐use application of digital photography that successfully quantifies phenological changes in boreal peatland vegetation. This nondestructive method for understanding vegetation phenology eliminated the need for fixed infrastructure and allowed us to expand our sampling capacity and study sites while allowing for repeated measures in the future.

Using satellite data to assess management frequency and rate of regeneration on heather moorlands in England as a resilience indicator

Peatland resilience, defined here as the rate of recovery from perturbation, is crucial to our understanding of the impacts of climate change and land management on these unique ecosystems. Many peatland areas in the UK are managed as grouse moors using small burns (or increasingly, heather cutting) to encourage heather growth and limit fuel load. These small burns or cuts are distinct disturbance events which provide a useful means of assessing resilience. Until now, it has been difficult to monitor the area affected by management each season due to the remoteness and size of moorland sites. Newer satellite sensors such as those on Sentinel-2 are now collecting data at a spatial resolution that is fine enough to detect individual burns or cut areas, and at a temporal resolution which can be used to monitor occurrence and recovery each year. This study considered four areas of moorland; the North Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, and the Peak District. For each of these areas Sentinel-2 optical data was used to detect management areas using the dNBR (differenced Normalized Burn Ratio), and to monitor vegetation recovery using the NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index). Significant differences were found between the four selected sites in management repeat interval, with the North York Moors having the shortest repeat interval of 20 years on average (compared to 40–66 years across the other three study sites). Recovery times were found to be affected by burn size and severity, weather during the summer months, and altitude. This suggests that the interactions between peatland management and climate change may affect the future resilience of these areas, with hot, dry summers causing longer management recovery times.

Gender Role in Farmers’ Livelihood Strategies at Peatland Area of Fire-Prone in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency South Sumatra Province

Peatland management cannot be separated from the involvement of men and women. Gender role in farmer’s livelihoods on peatlands are an important factor for the implementation of community livelihood strategies after the policy of prohibiting burning in land management. The research is a survey research using a qualitative approach. The research was conducted in Pulu Beruang Village and Kayu Labu Village, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency. Data collection was carried out through field observations, interviews and Focus Group Discussions conducted in each village. Research indicated that in both villages, the dominant role in agricultural activities is significant by men, while women’s role in household activities. In terms of access to natural resource management, women and men have equal opportunities. The existence of peat management policy that tends to limit men in carrying out their livelihood systems makes women play a role in earning a living. Men dominate asset ownership, but women have an important role in decision making.

Effect of Peatland Siltation on Total and Labile C, N, P and K

Large areas of peatlands, in addition to the effect of drainage, were subjected to erosional process and were silted. The objective of the study was to verify whether siltation of peatlands hampers mineralization of remaining peat and alters labile C, N, P and K. Total C and N were measured on a CN analyzer, and total P and K on an ICP spectrometer after microwave digestion. The labile fractions of C, N, P and K were extracted with hot water and measured on the CN analyzer and ICP spectrometer. We noted that labile C, N, P and K concentrations in silted topsoil were lower than the values reported in unsilted topsoil. Higher concentration of labile compounds in peats is a signal of higher biological activity and mineralization of organic matter. A TOC/TP < 300 and TOC/TN of approximately 8 in topsoil suggested diminished mineralization and supported our hypothesis that siltation hampered mineralization of organic matter. The TOC/TK ratio proved to be a fine indicator of the state of organic soils siltation, which enabled the separation of unsilted peats from silted topsoil (on the base of value of 177). It can be assumed that the mineralization of peat layers is hampered by the above lying silted topsoil, which is less biologically active, having less oxygen, and therefore conserving underlying peats against oxidation.

HUBUNGAN PERBEDAAN TINGGI MUKA AIR TERHADAP KADAR Cu DAN Zn DAUN SERTA PERTUMBUHAN TANAMAN KELAPA SAWIT (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) DI LAHAN GAMBUT

Peatland is an important natural resource for human life because it can be used as growth of oil palm plantation. The growth of oil palm plantations in peatlands is strongly influenced by peat water management. This study aims to study the relationship of different water levels to the content of leaf Cu and Zn nutrients and the growth of oil palm plants ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) in the peatlands. This research has been carried out on peatland areas in oil palm plantations of PT. Jatimjaya Perkasa Sei Bangko, Kubu District, Rokan Hilir Regency, Riau Province. Analysis of soil samples and plants samples has been carried out at the Soil Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru. The research was conducted in December 2017 to January 2018. This research was conducted using a survey method, the determination of the location of the study using a purposive sampling method, determination of sampling location is determined by stratified sampling method, where the strata in this study are grouped according to different peat water levels namely water level 60 cm with oil palm plants at the same age which is six years and the piezometer has been installed properly. The parameters that observed in this study were soil pH, availability of Cu and Zn nutrient, total soil-K, content of Cu, Zn and K leaves and growth of oil palm plants which included plant height, midrib length and leaflet. The observed data were analyzed for variance and tested further by DNMRT at the level of 5%, analyzed by regression to see the relationship between water level and parameters. The results showed that peatland with water level of 40 - 60 cm had a soil pH, K-total soil, Cu leaves, Zn leaves, midrib length and the highest oil palm plantations compared to peat land with a groundwater level 60 cm, and has a different length of leaflets. Key words : Cu and Zn nutrient, Oil palm plantation, Peatlands, Water Level.

Realtime monitoring for groundwater level and local climate based on universal communication system

The groundwater level and weather patterns and climate conditions are several of the very significant factors which influence the quality of livelihood and the other activity of the tropical peatland environment. The current method of groundwater level and meteorological information aggregate build the use of certain expensive weather station devices, prominent to a lack of vast monitoring suitable to cost barriers and disturbance in some countries. In this research, we have developed and implemented a hardware module based on an Arduino microcontroller and mobile communication, which measures the groundwater level and meteorological data, including air temperature, air humidity, and soil temperature, and humidity, rainfall in peatland area. The data groundwater level is received by a specially developed application interface running on an internet of things (IoT) connected through a global mobile system (GSM) communication. In this work, our proposed system is a model system that can able to generate alerts based on the real-time groundwater level and data weather as potential peat fire in Indonesia. It provides online and data real-time monitoring. In this works, we have resulted in a system to monitor the groundwater level and data weather alert, condition mapping, and warn the people from its disastrous effects.

Realtime monitoring for groundwater level and local climate based on universal communication system

The groundwater level and weather patterns and climate conditions are several of the very significant factors which influence the quality of livelihood and the other activity of the tropical peatland environment. The current method of groundwater level and meteorological information aggregate build the use of certain expensive weather station devices, prominent to a lack of vast monitoring suitable to cost barriers and disturbance in some countries. In this research, we have developed and implemented a hardware module based on an Arduino microcontroller and mobile communication, which measures the groundwater level and meteorological data, including air temperature, air humidity, and soil temperature, and humidity, rainfall in peatland area. The data groundwater level is received by a specially developed application interface running on an Internet of Things (IoT) connected through a Global Mobile System (GSM) communication. In this work, our proposed system is a model system that can able to generate alerts based on the real-time groundwater level and data weather as potential peat fire in Indonesia. It provides online and data real-time monitoring. In this works, we have resulted in a system to monitor the groundwater level and data weather alert, condition mapping, and warn the people from its disastrous effects.

Assessment on the Suitability of Planting Non-Native Peatlands Species Falcataria moluccana (Miq.) Barneby & Grimes in Rewetted Peatlands

Sengon (Falcataria moluccana), a fast-growing timber tree that naturally grows on mineral soils, is currently promoted in peatlands. This study aimed to (1) experimentally test the response of sengon seedlings in waterlogged conditions in the nursery; (2) describe and analyze the biophysical condition of a sengon plantation and its growth; (3) describe sengon farm practices on peatlands; and (4) identify key actor’s perception on planting sengon on peatlands. This study combined an experiment in nursery, field measurements, and key-informant interviews. The nursery experiment showed that peat soil affected seedling’s growth: survival rates decreased by 25–33% after 3 months of inundation. Sengon growth at age 1–5-years-old in peat soil was slower than that on mineral soils. Sengon growth in peatland was influenced by peat depth and peat maturity. Sengon plantation in Central Kalimantan was driven by market availability and industrial wood demand. Fourty-three percent of respondents thought sengon does not grow well in peat soils, but 57% of respondents thought that additional soil treatment will enhance site suitability. Based on key-informants’ experience, 64% disagree with sengon development in peatlands. Our study provides evidence that sengon is predominantly not suitable to be planted on peatlands. Therefore, cautions need to be taken when planting sengon on peatland areas.

Committed and projected future changes in global peatlands – continued transient model simulations since the Last Glacial Maximum

Abstract. Peatlands are diverse wetland ecosystems distributed mostly over the northern latitudes and tropics. Globally they store a large portion of the global soil organic carbon and provide important ecosystem services. The future of these systems under continued anthropogenic warming and direct human disturbance has potentially large impacts on atmospheric CO2 and climate. We performed global long-term projections of peatland area and carbon over the next 5000 years using a dynamic global vegetation model forced with climate anomalies from 10 models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) and three standard future scenarios. These projections are seamlessly continued from a transient simulation from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present to account for the full transient history and are continued beyond 2100 with constant boundary conditions. Our results suggest short to long-term net losses of global peatland area and carbon, with higher losses under higher-emission scenarios. Large parts of today's active northern peatlands are at risk, whereas peatlands in the tropics and, in case of mitigation, eastern Asia and western North America can increase their area and carbon stocks. Factorial simulations reveal committed historical changes and future rising temperature as the main driver of future peatland loss and increasing precipitations as the driver for regional peatland expansion. Additional simulations forced with climate anomalies from a subset of climate models which follow the extended CMIP6 scenarios, transient until 2300, show qualitatively similar results to the standard scenarios but highlight the importance of extended transient future scenarios for long-term carbon cycle projections. The spread between simulations forced with different climate model anomalies suggests a large uncertainty in projected peatland changes due to uncertain climate forcing. Our study highlights the importance of quantifying the future peatland feedback to the climate system and its inclusion into future earth system model projections.

Hydrometeorological dataset of West Siberian boreal peatland: a 10-year record from the Mukhrino field station

Abstract. Northern peatlands represent one of the largest carbon pools in the biosphere, but the carbon they store is increasingly vulnerable to perturbations from climate and land-use change. Meteorological observations taken directly at peatland areas in Siberia are unique and rare, while peatlands are characterized by a specific local climate. This paper presents a hydrological and meteorological dataset collected at the Mukhrino peatland, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, Russia, over the period of 8 May 2010 to 31 December 2019. Hydrometeorological data were collected from stations located at a small pine–shrub–Sphagnum ridge and Scheuchzeria–Sphagnum hollow at ridge–hollow complexes of ombrotrophic peatland. The monitored meteorological variables include air temperature, air humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, incoming and reflected photosynthetically active radiation, net radiation, soil heat flux, precipitation (rain), and snow depth. A gap-filling procedure based on the Gaussian process regression model with an exponential kernel was developed to obtain continuous time series. For the record from 2010 to 2019, the average mean annual air temperature at the site was −1.0 ∘C, with the mean monthly temperature of the warmest month (July) recorded as 17.4 ∘C and for the coldest month (January) −21.5 ∘C. The average net radiation was about 35.0 W m−2, and the soil heat flux was 2.4 and 1.2 W m−2 for the hollow and the ridge sites, respectively. The presented data are freely available through Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4323024, Dyukarev et al., 2020), last access: 15 December 2020) and can be used in coordination with other hydrological and meteorological datasets to examine the spatiotemporal effects of meteorological conditions on local hydrological responses across cold regions.

Revisiting tropical peatlands in Indonesia: Semi-detailed mapping, extent and depth distribution assessment

A detailed spatial inventory of the extent and depth distribution for tropical peatlands is not currently available; however, there is a critical need for new detailed peatland information at national, regional and global scales. Hence, the objective of this study was to provide a rigorous assessment of the extent and depth distribution of tropical peatlands in Indonesia. Data were acquired using a standard method protocol of semi-detailed peatland mapping programs (1:50 000 scale) from 2013 to 2019 for all Indonesian peatlands. Arc-GIS and multi-source satellite images (Landsat ETM-7, Landsat 8 OLI, ALOS, SPOT-5 and SPOT-6/7, and DEM/SRTM) were used to delineate soil-mapping units (polygons) which were supported by depth observation points derived from databases of soil maps 1:50 000 and peatland maps 1:250 000, and then subsequently verified with rigorous ground-truthing. Field transects were made between rivers using systematic distances to observe peat morphological features and thickness resulting in a total of 18,232 data points that included 14,185 new observations and 4,047 legacy points. Our results provide the first systematic census for all Indonesian peatlands and showed that peatlands occupied 13.43 million ha distributed on four islands (million ha): Sumatera (5.85) > Kalimantan (4.54) > Papua (3.01) > Sulawesi (0.024). Peat depth was classified into six categories: D1(50-<100 cm), D2 (100-<200 cm), D3 (200-<300 cm), D4 (300-<500 cm), D5 (500-<700 cm) and D6 (≥700 cm), which represented (million ha/peatlands%) 3.17 (24%), 3.44 (26%), 2.61 (19%), 2.32 (17%), 1.29 (10%) and 0.59 (4%), respectively. Exceptionally deep (≥700 cm) peatlands occurred on Kalimantan and Sumatera Islands, but were not found on Papua and Sulawesi Islands. The present peatland extent (13.43 million ha) was smaller than previous estimates (pre-2012) that varied from 14.9 to 27.0 million ha. The smaller peatland extent in the present semi-detailed mapping inventory (1:50 000) than previous estimates (pre-2012) may result primarily from (i) segregation of mineral soil inclusions previously considered as peatland, (ii) improved remote sensing and GIS tools (e.g., DEM/SRTM) that prevented misclassification of peatland areas, and (iii) extensive field observation for verification of peatland boundaries and thickness requirements (≥50 cm) that eliminated peatlands lost to enhanced decomposition from agricultural management and drainage practices. Our study on peatland extent and thickness provides new detailed information of tropical peatlands in Indonesia (a major region of tropical peatlands) to serve as a baseline for future inventories. The information provided by this study updates peat information for Indonesia (extent and depth), fills a critical knowledge gap for accurately determining regional/global organic C stocks, and informs future directions for the sustainable use and management of tropical peatlands.

RSPO TIER 1 DRAINABILITY ASSESSMENT IN DEEP PEAT OF KINABATANGAN RIVER BASIN-A CASE STUDY

A case study of peat drainability assessment based on the tier 1 method of roundtable on sustainable palm oil (RSPO) was conducted in three estates covering over 1 421 hectares of oil palm planted in contiguous deep peat. The objective of the study was to understand whether the land can be replanted with oil palm for future cultivation as per RSPO principle 7, criterion 7.7 and indicator 7.7.5. The factors surveyed and measured were the peat land area cultivated, its elevation, thickness, subsidence, determination of drainage base, daily measuring of mean water level at outlet to nearest waterbody, depth to the drainage base and finally the drainage limit time (DLT) for replanting and cultivation of oil palm. Based on the evaluation in 1 421 hectares, it was measured and observed that the depth to the drainage base was higher than the peat thickness in 526 hectares (37%). In such condition if organic matter is fully subsided, the land is suitable to be cultivated with oil palm on the underlying gleyic alluvium soil. In the rest of the fields of 895 hectares (63%) the peat thickness or depth was higher than the depth to the drainage base while the balance of 204 hectares of land have the DLT of less than 40 years (calculated at 5 cm default value of subsidence). The balance of 690 hectares with DLT more than 40 years can be replanted and cultivated with oil palm, provided that stringent water management programmes are implemented in place to reduce the subsidence of peat for prolonged cultivation. Keywords: Peat subsidence, peat drainage assessment, drainage limit time drainage base.

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Forest and land fires occur almost every year in Indonesia. They dominantly befall in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Most of the fire incidents in Indonesia are caused by anthropogenic factors. Moreover, practices of land management are indicated to have a strong relationship to the fires. Village-based fire control becomes one of approaches applied by the government. This study is conducted to reveal relational characteristics between village-based land management practices and fire events, principally in peatland areas, with a focused area in Kalimantan. Practices of land management will be analised by the characteristics of existing official land use, while fire events will be identified by the existence and intensity of hotspots. The method applied in this research is spatio-temporal analysis based on fire density analysis. Fire incidents occur from July to November, with the peak point occurrence is in September. Area in unmanaged land has increased the potency of fire events than in forest type and in other managed land cover types. Fires located in peatland also generate potential of fires significantly than in mineral land. Further, land cover and land type aspects together with village fire density can be employed as the priority in implementing policy on village-based fire control.

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Some peatland management cases, particularly in Kalimantan, cause serious environmental problems, especially in flammable land. Local people around the area are the first to receive the impacts. Therefore, peatland management needs to be prudent and requires sustainable environmental management. This study aims to find a model for peatland management carried out by the government and local communities through BUMDes program. According to the interview results and field observations, peatland management with a collaborative model between the government (state) and the local community in Rasau Jaya Village is found in the form of Maju Jaya Village-owned Enterprises (BUMDes). This research includes planning, utilization, management, and supervision of the peatland area. The government provides funds and legality, while the local communities carry out peatland utilization, management, and maintenance through mutual cooperation culture. In this study, peatland functions as a tourist attraction managed by the local community (ecotourism). Real implementation government collaboration with the local community has opened up new livelihoods for communities without undermining peatlands' ecological ecosystem.

Effects of drainage on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) characteristics of surface water from a mountain peatland

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plays an important role in regulating the carbon cycles in the peatland. In this study, we collected surface water once or twice a month from natural and drained areas of peatland in the Changbai Mountain, northeastern China, and determined the concentrations, spectral information, and composition of DOC, as well as the concentrations of other elements. The results showed that the concentrations of total N and NH4+ in the drained area were significantly higher than those in the natural area in most cases, but concentrations of total dissolved Fe were significantly lower. The DOC concentrations in the natural and drained area ranged from 31.0 mg L−1 to 320.8 mg L−1 and from 33.2 mg L−1 to 105.8 mg L−1, respectively. It is shown that DOC concentration in the drained area was generally lower than those in the natural area in mid-growing season, but it was higher in early- and end-growing seasons. SUVA254 (Abs254/DOC concentration) in the drained area was generally higher than in the natural area, indicating more aromatic DOC fraction in drained area. No consistent difference in other spectroscopy was observed between natural and drained areas. In contrast, molecular analysis of DOC not only confirmed an increase in the fraction of aromatic compounds in DOC but also showed different compositions of DOC between the natural and drained areas on molecular level, suggesting enhanced decomposition of peat organic matters after drainage. Notably, the average percentage of protein-like structures in DOC in drained area was significantly higher than that in natural area (14.9 ± 1.7% vs. 12.8 ± 0.8%), indicating preferential release of dissolved organic nitrogen from peat organic matter. Overall, this study suggests drainage can enhance decomposition of peat organic matters, resulting in more protein-like structures released into water.

Determining the color of a multi-colored object with relatively large dimensions

The use of standard instruments (colorimeters) when measuring the color coordinates and chromaticity of multicolored objects and having relatively large dimensions is practically impossible. This is due to the fact that ordinary colorimeters, no matter what method is implemented in them, are designed to determine the color of a specific point of the measured object. This article discusses a method for determining the color of a multicolored and relatively large object, for example, a car, color photography, art painting, etc. Let us call this method computer colorimetry. A practical solution to this method can be used in such areas of the national economy, as, for example, repainting a car after damage to certain parts of the body with damage to the paintwork, automatic control and video surveillance of forest and peatland areas to detect fires, in the examination of the authenticity of documents and works of art, and other areas of the national economy.

Changes in soil phosphorus pools induced by drainage in tropical peatlands: Evidence in monoculture and intercropping long-term systems

Extensive areas of peatlands are drained around the world to create a favorable environment for food production, altering the natural anaerobic environment and nutrient dynamics in the soil. In this study, we used tropical peatlands subjected to monocultive (MC) of Manihot esculenta for 80 years and intercropped (IC) of Manihot esculenta and Cocos nucifera for 20 years and an area of natural vegetation (Forest), to estimate the effects of MC and IC systems maintained under drainage on the dynamics and accumulation of organic and inorganic fractions of P and on the potential of P adsorption by the soil. Our results showed that drainage predominantly altered inorganic fractions of P, having little influence on its organic fractions. In the short-term, the IC system reduced the total soil P content in subsurface by 35.6 and 37.9 % when compared with MC system and Forest, respectively, as a result of the reduction of all inorganic fractions of P. In all areas, regardless of the position in the profile, we observed the predominance of the highly recalcitrant residual P fraction (> 70 %) in the total P content of the soil. The adsorption process controlled P availability in peatlands subjected to drainage, reducing P availability only in the IC system. Based on our results, we indicate the MC of Manihot esculenta as the best cultivation system and we do not recommend of the IC system in tropical peatlands, as it presents serious risks of total depletion of the P content in soil. Our results provide new evidence on P dynamics in tropical peatlands subjected to drainage for long periods.

Peat Water Treatment as an Alternative for Raw water in Peatlands Area

Indonesia is the second country that has the largest percentage of peatlands in the world. Peatlands play an important role as a counterweight to environmental ecosystems. However, if not managed properly, then these benefits cannot be used optimally. Areas with peatlands are generally inland areas that do not yet have access to clean water. It is not uncommon to find clean water crisis conditions occurring in areas with peatlands, because peat water as a source of raw water has not yet been implemented. As for water resources in peatlands, most of them come from the peat water itself. The use of peat water as a source of raw water requires in-depth studies both in terms of quality, continuity, and quantity, so that it does not cause health, social, and economic issues, when used by the community as a source of clean water. Through this research, there will be a review of the application of peat water treatment that has been used in previous studies, so that it will be known the challenges to be faced and as an alternative solution to face these challenges, especially in Indonesia.

Digital mapping and soil carbon stock distribution on various landuse of tropical peatland in Pesisir Selatan, West Sumatra

Indonesia has the largest tropical peatlands in the world covered an area of 14.91 million ha. Peatlands play an important role in global carbon sequestration. This study aimed to: a] map the peatland in Pesisir Selatan, Sumatra Barat calculate the soil carbon stock in the peatlands on various land use and peat thickness and c] identify the relationship of soil characteristics to the soil carbon. We investigated thirty soil samples in Pesisir Selatan. The land-use types on peatland in Pesisir Selatan consisted of forest [GH], shrub [GS], oil palm plantations [GPs], annual cropland[GLp], and bareland [GLp]. The results showed that the total area of peatlands in Pesisir Selatan is 78,998.74 ha, while the total amount of soil carbon stocks is 244 million tonnes, and the sequence follows GPs > GS > GH > GT > GLp. The average value of soil carbon stock is 3,090.89 per ha, the sequence follows GH > GS > GT > GPs > GLp. Hence, the average amount of soil carbon stock based on depth is 8,529 tons for peat depth > 600cm, 4,082 tons for peat depth 300-600 cm, and 525 tons for peat depth 0-300 cm. Differences in average values of soil carbon stock per ha are highly influenced by the differences in peat thickness. The dynamics of total carbon show a higher its content in the subsurface layer rather than in the surface layer. The soil carbon is linearly correlated with water content and it is inversely proportional to bulk density.

Mapping and understanding the vulnerability of northern peatlands to permafrost thaw at scales relevant to community adaptation planning

Developing spatially explicit permafrost datasets and climate assessments at scales relevant to northern communities is increasingly important as land users and decision makers incorporate changing permafrost conditions in community and adaptation planning. This need is particularly strong within the discontinuous permafrost zone of the Northwest Territories (NWT) Canada where permafrost peatlands are undergoing rapid thaw due to a warming climate. Current data products for predicting landscapes at risk of thaw are generally built at circumpolar scales and do not lend themselves well to fine-scale regional interpretations. Here, we present a new permafrost vulnerability dataset that assesses the degree of permafrost thaw within peatlands across a 750 km latitudinal gradient in the NWT. This updated dataset provides spatially explicit estimates of where peatland thermokarst potential exists, thus making it much more suitable for local, regional or community usage. Within southern peatland complexes, we show that permafrost thaw affects up to 70% of the peatland area and that thaw is strongly mediated by both latitude and elevation, with widespread thaw occuring particularly at low elevations. At the northern end of our latitudinal gradient, peatland permafrost remains climate-protected with relatively little thaw. Collectively these results demonstrate the importance of scale in permafrost analyses and mapping if research is to support northern communities and decision makers in a changing climate. This study offers a more scale-appropriate approach to support community adaptative planning under scenarios of continued warming and widespread permafrost thaw.