Universität zu Köln

Crezee, Bart ORCID: 0000-0002-1459-6402, Dargie, Greta C., Ewango, Corneille E. N., Mitchard, Edward T. A. ORCID: 0000-0002-5690-4055, Emba B., Ovide, Kanyama T., Joseph, Bola, Pierre, Ndjango, Jean-Bosco N., Girkin, Nicholas T., Bocko, Yannick E., Ifo, Suspense A., Hubau, Wannes ORCID: 0000-0003-3795-4986, Seidensticker, Dirk ORCID: 0000-0002-8155-7702, Batumike, Rodrigue, Imani, Gérard ORCID: 0000-0002-1354-2242, Cuní-Sanchez, Aida, Kiahtipes, Christopher A. ORCID: 0000-0002-8758-4605, Lebamba, Judicaël, Wotzka, Hans-Peter, Bean, Hollie, Baker, Timothy R. ORCID: 0000-0002-3251-1679, Baird, Andy J. ORCID: 0000-0001-8198-3229, Boom, Arnoud ORCID: 0000-0003-1299-691X, Morris, Paul J. ORCID: 0000-0002-1145-1478, Page, Susan E., Lawson, Ian T. and Lewis, Simon L. ORCID: 0000-0002-8066-6851 (2022). Mapping peat thickness and carbon stocks of the central Congo Basin using field data. Nature Geoscience, 15 (8). pp. 639-644. ISSN 1752-0894

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Abstract

The world’s largest tropical peatland complex is found in the central Congo Basin. However, there is a lack of in situ measurements to understand the peatland’s distribution and the amount of carbon stored in it. So far, peat in this region has been sampled only in largely rain-fed interfluvial basins in the north of the Republic of the Congo. Here we present the first extensive field surveys of peat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which covers two-thirds of the estimated peatland area, including from previously undocumented river-influenced settings. We use field data from both countries to compute the first spatial models of peat thickness (mean 1.7 ± 0.9 m; maximum 5.6 m) and peat carbon density (mean 1,712 ± 634 MgC ha−1; maximum 3,970 MgC ha−1) for the central Congo Basin. We show that the peatland complex covers 167,600 km2, 36% of the world’s tropical peatland area, and that 29.0 PgC is stored below ground in peat across the region (95% confidence interval, 26.3–32.2 PgC). Our measurement-based constraints give high confidence of globally significant peat carbon stocks in the central Congo Basin, totalling approximately 28% of the world’s tropical peat carbon. Only 8% of this peat carbon lies within nationally protected areas, suggesting its vulnerability to future land-use change.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Crezee, Bart UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-1459-6402 UNSPECIFIED Dargie, Greta C. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Ewango, Corneille E. N. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Mitchard, Edward T. A. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-5690-4055 UNSPECIFIED Emba B., Ovide UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Kanyama T., Joseph UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Bola, Pierre UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Ndjango, Jean-Bosco N. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Girkin, Nicholas T. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Bocko, Yannick E. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Ifo, Suspense A. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Hubau, Wannes UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-3795-4986 UNSPECIFIED Seidensticker, Dirk UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-8155-7702 UNSPECIFIED Batumike, Rodrigue UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Imani, Gérard UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-1354-2242 UNSPECIFIED Cuní-Sanchez, Aida UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Kiahtipes, Christopher A. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-8758-4605 UNSPECIFIED Lebamba, Judicaël UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Wotzka, Hans-Peter UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Bean, Hollie UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Baker, Timothy R. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-3251-1679 UNSPECIFIED Baird, Andy J. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-8198-3229 UNSPECIFIED Boom, Arnoud UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-1299-691X UNSPECIFIED Morris, Paul J. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-1145-1478 UNSPECIFIED Page, Susan E. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Lawson, Ian T. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Lewis, Simon L. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-8066-6851 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-633333
DOI:	10.1038/s41561-022-00966-7
Journal or Publication Title:	Nature Geoscience
Volume:	15
Number:	8
Page Range:	pp. 639-644
Date:	2022
ISSN:	1752-0894
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 2: Archäologie, Altertumskunde und Kulturen des Mittelmeerraums > Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte > Abteilung D - Forschungsstelle Afrika
Subjects:	History of ancient world
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/63333