A Bornean peat swamp forest is a net source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Tang, Angela C. I.; Melling, Lulie; Stoy, Paul C.; Musin, Kevin Kemudang; Aeries, Edward Baran; Waili, Joseph Wenceslaus; Shimizu, Mariko; Poulter, Benjamin; Hirata, Ryuichi

doi:10.1111/gcb.15332

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 81 publications

(151 reference statements)

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“…EC has previously been employed in peatland forests in the region; Hirano et al (2012) used it to investigate the impact of large-scale anthropogenic disturbance on the carbon balance of tropical PSF in Indonesian Borneo, concluding that PSF were all now likely to be sources of atmospheric carbon (in the range of 7-18 Mg CO 2 ha −1 year −1 ). A conclusion supported by another, very recent, EC study in logged PSF that showed a mean net emission of CO 2 over 4 years at 15.4 Mg CO 2 ha −1 year −1 (Tang et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Short‐ and long‐term carbon emissions from oil palm plantations converted from logged tropical peat swamp forest

McCalmont

Kho

Teh

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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Need for regional economic development and global demand for agro‐industrial commodities have resulted in large‐scale conversion of forested landscapes to industrial agriculture across South East Asia. However, net emissions of CO2 from tropical peatland conversions may be significant and remain poorly quantified, resulting in controversy around the magnitude of carbon release following conversion. Here we present long‐term, whole ecosystem monitoring of carbon exchange from two oil palm plantations on converted tropical peat swamp forest. Our sites compare a newly converted oil palm plantation (OPnew) to a mature oil palm plantation (OPmature) and combine them in the context of existing emission factors. Mean annual net emission (NEE) of CO2 measured at OPnew during the conversion period (137.8 Mg CO2 ha−1 year−1) was an order of magnitude lower during the measurement period at OPmature (17.5 Mg CO2 ha−1 year−1). However, mean water table depth (WTD) was shallower (0.26 m) than a typical drainage target of 0.6 m suggesting our emissions may be a conservative estimate for mature plantations, mean WTD at OPnew was more typical at 0.54 m. Reductions in net emissions were primarily driven by increasing biomass accumulation into highly productive palms. Further analysis suggested annual peat carbon losses of 24.9 Mg CO2‐C ha−1 year−1 over the first 6 years, lower than previous estimates for this early period from subsidence studies, losses reduced to 12.8 Mg CO2‐C ha−1 year−1 in the later, mature phase. Despite reductions in NEE and carbon loss over time, the system remained a large net source of carbon to the atmosphere after 12 years with the remaining 8 years of a typical plantation's rotation unlikely to recoup losses. These results emphasize the need for effective protection of tropical peatlands globally and strengthening of legislative enforcement where moratoria on peatland conversion already exist.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Short‐ and long‐term carbon emissions from oil palm plantations converted from logged tropical peat swamp forest

McCalmont

Kho

Teh

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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“…However, almost no high-quality contemporary CO 2 flux measurements exist for the remaining intact tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia. Previous research in Borneo 21,22 reported flux measurements from peatlands disturbed by historical forest-cover loss due to selective logging, and these data do not necessarily represent an intact reference. Given the role of intact tropical peatlands in long-term climate mitigation through carbon sequestration, an improved understanding of their fate under the current and future climate is a prerequisite for assessing the importance of peatland conservation as a climate-mitigation strategy 23,24 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation slows down emission increase from a tropical peatland in Indonesia

Deshmukh¹,

Julius²,

Desai

et al. 2021

Nat. Geosci.

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“…The seasonal and overall mean values of environmental variables measured throughout the study period is shown in table 2. The overall mean air temperature measured at the sites ranged between 27.7 °C-30.8 °C, which are higher than the average value of 26.9 °C for the area cited from Tang et al (2020). Using Tukey's Honest Significant Difference (HSD) test, the air temperature was found to be significantly higher at the ABg site, while the soil moisture content was found to have significant differences across all sites.…”

Section: Environmental Variablesmentioning

confidence: 79%

Long term dynamics of surface fluctuation in a peat swamp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia

Faizul

Melling

Wong

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Commun.

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Tropical peatland is a complex and globally important wetland ecosystem, storing an enormous amount of the Earth’s terrestrial carbon from centuries of organic material accumulation. In this ecosystem, peat swamp forests developed over an ombrogenous peat where hydrology influences its physico-chemical properties, one of which is fluctuation of the peat surface. While several studies of tropical peatland surface fluctuation have been reported, most are based on relatively short measurement periods or focused on drained areas. Hence, the objective of this study is to determine the long-term dynamics of peat surface fluctuation from an undrained peat swamp forest in relation to its water table depth. Peat surface level, water table, and rainfall were measured monthly at three experimental sites in a peat swamp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia over a period of about 10 years (2011-2020). The sites were different in soil structure and vegetation community; namely mixed peat swamp, Alan Batu, and Alan Bunga forests. Throughout the measurement period the peat surface in all sites exhibited consistent oscillating movement that generally follow the fluctuation of water table, with swelling and subsidence occurring after water table increase following high rainfall and receding water during dry spells respectively. Positive linear relationships were also found between peat surface level and water table (p < 0.05). Both the surface level and water table at all sites fell to their lowest during an intense dry period in 2019. Surface fluctuation at the Alan Batu site was most affected by seasonal changes in water table, which may be due to presence of vacant zones in the peat profile.

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A Bornean peat swamp forest is a net source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Cited by 10 publications

References 81 publications

Short‐ and long‐term carbon emissions from oil palm plantations converted from logged tropical peat swamp forest

Short‐ and long‐term carbon emissions from oil palm plantations converted from logged tropical peat swamp forest

Conservation slows down emission increase from a tropical peatland in Indonesia

Long term dynamics of surface fluctuation in a peat swamp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia

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