Peatland delineation across Arctic regions using terrain indices and Sentinel-1
Title: Peatland delineation across Arctic regions using terrain indices and Sentinel-1
DNr: LiU-2019-35
Project Type: LiU Compute
Principal Investigator: Martin Karlson <martin.karlson@liu.se>
Affiliation: Linköpings universitet
Duration: 2019-09-10 – 2020-10-01
Classification: 10507
Keywords:

Abstract

Long-term projections show that climate warming will be more intense in northern regions than anywhere in the world. Rising temperature can trigger large increases in emissions of the highly potent greenhouse gas (GHG) methane (C H ) from northern wetlands. The extent and composition of northern wetlands is highly uncertain due to a lack of accurate regional-scale datasets. This constrains progress in the understanding of natural GHG dynamics, especially current and future C H emissions, and the ability to predict and mitigate climate change. This project aims to improve our knowledge about the extent of northern wetlands and the related C H fluxes. To do so, an efficient method for regional-scale mapping of northern wetland types will be developed. The project will introduce an innovative classification system that separate wetland-cover classes based on their C H flux. The mapping method will utilize freely available, high-resolution elevation data and satellite radar time-series, which make it possible to distinguish landscape features (e.g., depressions and ridges) that regulate C H fluxes. A main output will be regional maps of northern wetland-cover types and C H fluxes, validated against extensive field measurement datasets. This type of detailed wetland maps will constitute critical input to a range of applications, including climate modeling, ecosystem monitoring and nature conservation.