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Peat swamp forest
Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick layer of acidic peat. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates.
Peat swamp forests are typically surrounded by lowland rain forests on better-drained soils, and by brackish or salt-water mangrove forests near the coast.
They are a kind of peatland, which store and accumulate vast amounts of carbon as soil organic matter—much more than forests on mineral soil (i.e. non-peatland) contain. Peat formation is a natural carbon sink; because the decomposition of the organic matter is slower than its production rate, the surplus accumulates as peat. Their stability has important implications for climate change; they are among the largest near-surface reserves of terrestrial organic carbon. Tropical peat swamp forests, which have ecological importance, are one of the most threatened, yet least studied and most poorly understood biotypes.
Since the 1970s, tropical peat swamp forest deforestation and drainage have greatly increased in South East Asia. In addition, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drought and large-scale fires are accelerating peatland devastation. Peat fires, drainage and deforestation enhances the decomposition of soil organic matter, increasing the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Tropical peat swamp forests are home to thousands of animals and plants, including many rare and critically endangered species such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger, whose habitats are threatened by peatland deforestation.
Tropical peat ecosystem are found in three regions: Central America, Africa and South East Asia. About 62% of the world's tropical peat lands occur in the Indomalayan realm (80% in Indonesia, 11% in Malaysia, 6% in Papua New Guinea, and pockets in Brunei, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand). Peat in Indonesia is distributed over three islands, Sumatra (8.3 million ha), Kalimantan (6.3 million ha) and Papua (4.6 million ha). 36% of the world's tropical peat occurs in Africa's central Congo Basin.
Tropical peat forms on low-lying areas, such as river deltas, floodplains or shallow oxbow lakes. The formation process usually follows hydrosere successional steps, where the ponds or flooded area eutrophicated by water plants, then transform into waterlogged swamp with grasses or shrubs, and eventually formed a forest that continues to grow and accumulate. Peat located on the fringing areas of domes in between domes might form through lateral expansion. This peat accumulation often forms a convex shape called a dome, which could rise up to 4 m (13 ft) on coastal peat and up to 18 m (59 ft) on inland peat. At the beginning of its formation, peat is largely topogenous or minerotrophic, receiving high nutrient input from rivers or groundwaters. As the peat thickens and the dome becomes elevated, the top of the peat is no longer affected by the river or groundwater input, instead they are becoming ombrotrophic, exclusively obtaining water from the precipitation Input only from the rain causes a low nutrient and mineral content, especially calcium. The peat thus becomes highly acidic and only able to support low biodiversity and stunted forest.
Inland and coastal peat differ greatly in their age, where coastal peat formed during the mid Holocene, about 8000 years ago. Inland peat formed much earlier during the Late Pleistocene, more than 26000 BP. Coastal peat formation is highly affected by the sea level rise with strong accumulation around 8-4000 BP when El Niño is less intense. Because the Sunda Shelf is tectonically stable, the sea level change in this area is only affected by the eustatic sea level, and during the glacial period the Karimata Strait dried, causing Asian Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java to become connected. After the Last Glacial Maximum, this coastline moved inland as the ice sheet melted, and finally reached the level of modern coastline around 8500 BP. Thus, the oldest age of coastal peat in this region is less than 8500 years old.
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Peat swamp forest
Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick layer of acidic peat. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates.
Peat swamp forests are typically surrounded by lowland rain forests on better-drained soils, and by brackish or salt-water mangrove forests near the coast.
They are a kind of peatland, which store and accumulate vast amounts of carbon as soil organic matter—much more than forests on mineral soil (i.e. non-peatland) contain. Peat formation is a natural carbon sink; because the decomposition of the organic matter is slower than its production rate, the surplus accumulates as peat. Their stability has important implications for climate change; they are among the largest near-surface reserves of terrestrial organic carbon. Tropical peat swamp forests, which have ecological importance, are one of the most threatened, yet least studied and most poorly understood biotypes.
Since the 1970s, tropical peat swamp forest deforestation and drainage have greatly increased in South East Asia. In addition, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drought and large-scale fires are accelerating peatland devastation. Peat fires, drainage and deforestation enhances the decomposition of soil organic matter, increasing the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Tropical peat swamp forests are home to thousands of animals and plants, including many rare and critically endangered species such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger, whose habitats are threatened by peatland deforestation.
Tropical peat ecosystem are found in three regions: Central America, Africa and South East Asia. About 62% of the world's tropical peat lands occur in the Indomalayan realm (80% in Indonesia, 11% in Malaysia, 6% in Papua New Guinea, and pockets in Brunei, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand). Peat in Indonesia is distributed over three islands, Sumatra (8.3 million ha), Kalimantan (6.3 million ha) and Papua (4.6 million ha). 36% of the world's tropical peat occurs in Africa's central Congo Basin.
Tropical peat forms on low-lying areas, such as river deltas, floodplains or shallow oxbow lakes. The formation process usually follows hydrosere successional steps, where the ponds or flooded area eutrophicated by water plants, then transform into waterlogged swamp with grasses or shrubs, and eventually formed a forest that continues to grow and accumulate. Peat located on the fringing areas of domes in between domes might form through lateral expansion. This peat accumulation often forms a convex shape called a dome, which could rise up to 4 m (13 ft) on coastal peat and up to 18 m (59 ft) on inland peat. At the beginning of its formation, peat is largely topogenous or minerotrophic, receiving high nutrient input from rivers or groundwaters. As the peat thickens and the dome becomes elevated, the top of the peat is no longer affected by the river or groundwater input, instead they are becoming ombrotrophic, exclusively obtaining water from the precipitation Input only from the rain causes a low nutrient and mineral content, especially calcium. The peat thus becomes highly acidic and only able to support low biodiversity and stunted forest.
Inland and coastal peat differ greatly in their age, where coastal peat formed during the mid Holocene, about 8000 years ago. Inland peat formed much earlier during the Late Pleistocene, more than 26000 BP. Coastal peat formation is highly affected by the sea level rise with strong accumulation around 8-4000 BP when El Niño is less intense. Because the Sunda Shelf is tectonically stable, the sea level change in this area is only affected by the eustatic sea level, and during the glacial period the Karimata Strait dried, causing Asian Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java to become connected. After the Last Glacial Maximum, this coastline moved inland as the ice sheet melted, and finally reached the level of modern coastline around 8500 BP. Thus, the oldest age of coastal peat in this region is less than 8500 years old.
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