An Overview of Remote Sensing Data Applications in Peatland Research Based on Works from the Period 2010–2021

Abstract

In the 21st century, remote sensing (RS) has become increasingly employed in many environmental studies. This paper constitutes an overview of works utilising RS methods in studies on peatlands and investigates publications from the period 2010–2021. Based on fifty-nine case studies from different climatic zones (from subarctic to subtropical), we can indicate an increase in the use of RS methods in peatland research during the last decade, which is likely a result of the greater availability of new remote sensing data sets (Sentinel 1 and 2; Landsat 8; SPOT 6 and 7) paired with the rapid development of open-source software (ESA SNAP; QGIS and SAGA GIS). In the studied works, satellite data analyses typically encompassed the following elements: land classification/identification of peatlands, changes in water conditions in peatlands, monitoring of peatland state, peatland vegetation mapping, Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), and the estimation of carbon resources in peatlands. The most frequently employed research methods, on the other hand, included: vegetation indices, soil moisture indices, water indices, supervised classification and machine learning. Remote sensing data combined with field research is deemed helpful for peatland monitoring and multi-proxy studies, and they may offer new perspectives on research at a regional level.

Assessment of Peat Extraction Range and Vegetation Succession on the Baligówka Degraded Peat Bog (Central Europe) Using the ALS Data and Orthophotomap

“…Mapping of wetlands is one of the basic problems related to the use of remote sensing techniques in the studies on these environments [34][35][36]. Spatial resolution and data accuracy are indicated as the main obstacle in the methods of semi-automatic classification of remote sensing materials in terms of delimitation of these objects, especially inland wetlands [37][38][39].…”

Challenges and Limitations of Remote Sensing Applications in Northern Peatlands: Present and Future Prospects

“…Czapiewski and Szumi ńska (2022) assessed remote sensing techniques in research involving peatlands and the external factors affecting their development. The study was a state-of-the-art review and found that there had been a surge in the utilisation of RS approaches in peatland research over the past ten years, likely due to the augmented access to a variety of RS data sets and the quick progress of open-source software [52]. Dronova et al (2021) conducted a scoping review to evaluate UAVs' current and potential wetland applications.…”

“…This SLR goes beyond emphasising the significance of interdisciplinary approaches, stressing the need for data integration and advanced modelling techniques to enhance our understanding of peatland ecosystems, making it a forward-looking contribution to the field. [52] This research delivers a comprehensive assessment of the use of remote sensing (RS) techniques in peatland research and the external factors that can influence the way they evolve.…”

State of Climate Action 2022

“…Although these advances in remote sensing can also provide data needed to monitor the world's peatlands (Czapiewski and Szumińska 2021), progress made in mapping, let alone monitoring, these wetlands also lags far behind forests. The most comprehensive global peatland map, for example, combines global, regional, and national data from geological surveys, soil maps, and wetland databases produced between 1990 and 2013 (Xu et al 2018), but many of the world's most peat-rich countries lack complete or up-to-date national surveys of this ecosystem.…”