Potential of APSIS-InSAR for measuring surface oscillations of tropical peatlands

Tropical peatland across Southeast Asia is drained extensively for production of pulpwood, palm oil and other food crops. Associated increases in peat decomposition have led to widespread subsidence, deterioration of peat condition and CO2 emissions. However, quantification of subsidence and peat condition from these processes is challenging due to the scale and inaccessibility of dense tropical peat swamp forests. The development of satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has the potential to solve this problem. The Advanced Pixel System using Intermittent Baseline Subset (APSIS, formerly ISBAS) modelling technique provides improved coverage across almost all land surfaces irrespective of ground cover, enabling derivation of a time series of tropical peatland surface oscillations across whole catchments. This study aimed to establish the extent to which APSIS-InSAR can monitor seasonal patterns of tropical peat surface oscillations at North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest, Peninsular Malaysia. Results showed that C-band SAR could penetrate the forest canopy over tropical peat swamp forests intermittently and was applicable to a range of land covers. Therefore the APSIS technique has the potential for monitoring peat surface oscillations under tropical forest canopy using regularly acquired C-band Sentinel-1 InSAR data, enabling continuous monitoring of tropical peatland surface motion at a spatial resolution of 20 m

Exploring Spatial Patterns of Tropical Peatland Subsidence in Selangor, Malaysia Using the APSIS-DInSAR Technique

Tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia have experienced widespread subsidence due to forest clearance and drainage for agriculture, oil palm and pulp wood production, causing concerns about their function as a long-term carbon store. Peatland drainage leads to subsidence (lowering of peatland surface), an indicator of degraded peatlands, while stability/uplift indicates peatland accumulation and ecosystem health. We used the Advanced Pixel System using the Intermittent SBAS (ASPIS-DInSAR) technique with biophysical and geographical data to investigate the impact of peatland drainage and agriculture on spatial patterns of subsidence in Selangor, Malaysia. Results showed pronounced subsidence in areas subjected to drainage for agricultural and oil palm plantations, while stable areas were associated with intact forests. The most powerful predictors of subsidence rates were the distance from the drainage canal or peat boundary; however, other drivers such as soil properties and water table levels were also important. The maximum subsidence rate detected was lower than that documented by ground-based methods. Therefore, whilst the APSIS-DInSAR technique may underestimate absolute subsidence rates, it gives valuable information on the direction of motion and spatial variability of subsidence. The study confirms widespread and severe peatland degradation in Selangor, highlighting the value of DInSAR for identifying priority zones for restoration and emphasising the need for conservation and restoration efforts to preserve Selangor peatlands and prevent further environmental impacts

Exploring spatial patterns of tropical peatland subsidence in Selangor, Malaysia using the APSIS-DInSAR technique

Tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia have experienced widespread subsidence due to forest clearance and drainage for agriculture, oil palm and pulp wood production, causing concerns about their function as a long-term carbon store. Peatland drainage leads to subsidence (lowering of peatland surface), an indicator of degraded peatlands, while stability/uplift indicates peatland accumulation and ecosystem health. We used the Advanced Pixel System using the Intermittent SBAS (ASPIS-DInSAR) technique with biophysical and geographical data to investigate the impact of peatland drainage and agriculture on spatial patterns of subsidence in Selangor, Malaysia. Results showed pronounced subsidence in areas subjected to drainage for agricultural and oil palm plantations, while stable areas were associated with intact forests. The most powerful predictors of subsidence rates were the distance from the drainage canal or peat boundary; however, other drivers such as soil properties and water table levels were also important. The maximum subsidence rate detected was lower than that documented by ground-based methods. Therefore, whilst the APSIS-DInSAR technique may underestimate absolute subsidence rates, it gives valuable information on the direction of motion and spatial variability of subsidence. The study confirms widespread and severe peatland degradation in Selangor, highlighting the value of DInSAR for identifying priority zones for restoration and emphasising the need for conservation and restoration efforts to preserve Selangor peatlands and prevent further environmental impacts

Tropical peat surface oscillations are a function of peat condition at North Selangor peat swamp forest, Malaysia

Tropical peatland condition across southeast Asia is deteriorating as a result of conversion to agriculture and urban zones. Conversion begins by lowering the water table, which leads to peat decomposition, subsidence and increased risk of large-scale forest fires. Associated changes in mechanical peat properties impact the magnitude and timing of changes in peatland surface motion, making them a potential proxy for peatland condition. However, such a relationship is yet to be observed in a tropical peatland setting. This study aimed to establish whether patterns of tropical peatland surface motion were a function of peat condition at North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest in Selangor, Malaysia. Results showed that subsidence was greatest at fire-affected scrubland sites, whilst the lowest mean water table levels were found at smallholder oil palm sites. Peat condition and magnitude of tropical peat surface oscillation were significantly different between peat condition classes, whilst peat condition differed with depth. More degraded tropical peats with high bulk density throughout the peat profile due to high surface loading and low mean water table levels showed greater surface oscillation magnitudes. The dominant peat surface oscillation mechanisms present at all sites were compression and shrinkage from changes in water table level. Mean water table level and subsidence rate were related to surface oscillation magnitude. However further work towards measuring surface and within-water table range bulk densities and surface loading is required to better understand the controls on surface oscillation magnitudes

Diagram describing structural characteristics of the tropical peat swamp forest that impact scattering signals and associated metrics included in this study (adapted from Kasischke and Bourgeau-Chavez [33]).

Diagram describing structural characteristics of the tropical peat swamp forest that impact scattering signals and associated metrics included in this study (adapted from Kasischke and Bourgeau-Chavez [33]).</p

Photographs illustrating common land cover types and field conditions at north Selangor.

(a) secondary forest, (b) burned peatland with dense grass and shrubs, (c) rice paddy agriculture and (d) oil palm plantation. (Photo credits: MJL).</p

Fig 7 -

(a) Map of coherence counts (cohcount) of interferometric pairs at 20 m resolution between 10/10/2014 and 29/04/2020. The coherence count represents the number of interferometric pairs that are above the coherence threshold of 0.45 (maximum = 1520). (b) Map of land cover for North Selangor. Study of both maps show that coherence counts remained high over forestry within North Selangor relative to other land cover types. Base map provided by OpenStreetMap®. OpenStreetMap® is open data, licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) by the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF). OpenStreetMap® is made available under the Open Database License: http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/. Any rights in individual contents of the database are licensed under the Database Contents License: http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/dbcl/1.0/.</p

North Selangor reserve boundary and peatland extent located within Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia, SE Asia.

Base map provided by OpenStreetMap®. OpenStreetMap® is open data, licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) by the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF). OpenStreetMap® is made available under the Open Database License: http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/. Any rights in individual contents of the database are licensed under the Database Contents License: http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/dbcl/1.0/.</p

Diagram depicting sources of scattering from inundated forests (adapted from Kasischke and Bourgeau-Chavez [33]).

Scattering mechanisms in bold represent scattering sources that result in interferometric fringes.</p