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

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

I Can't Believe It's Not Bakhtin!: Literary Theory, Postmodern Advertising and the Gender Agenda

Taking the literary theories of Mikhail Bakhtin as a starting point, the authors offer three gendered readings of a postmodern advertisement for Moët & Chandon champagne. They commence with a discussion of the influence of gender on textual interpretation; continue with an outline of Bakhtin's key concepts, with particular reference to gender; present three contrasting readings of Moët's postmodern advertisement; and conclude with a discussion of their interpretations together with some reflexive reflections on the gender agenda. Though not claiming to offer a comprehensive introduction to Bakhtin, they do try to exemplify, in a quasi-carnivalesque mode of exposition, something of the character of that supremely gifted thinker and to demonstrate the insights his concepts provide in relation to gendered readings of advertising texts