SMOKE ON WATER

Distribution of Peat Cover in Europe Distribution of Peat Cover in Europe

L ÓPEZ , 2017 250 km

Sources: Tanneberger F. et al., 2017, The peatland map of Europe, Mires and Peat, Volume 19.

GRID-Arendal

Figure 17. Peat distribution in Europe.

Sources: Tanneberger F. et al., 2017, The peatland map of Europe, Mires and Peat, Volume 19. A good high-resolution remote sensing map to identify long- term waterlogged areas (as a sign of the possible existence of peatlands) in tropical lowlands is currently the expert system model for mapping tropical wetlands and peatlands (SWAMP, 2016; Gumbricht et al., 2017). But this dataset has poor coverage of higher altitude peatlands and seems to overestimate the extent of peatlands in regions where peatlands and non-peat wetlands are closely linked, requiring further field data for verification and validation.

Additional studies are required in South America and could lead to this region being identified as the most peatland- rich continent in the southern hemisphere (Gumbricht et al., 2017). Large and numerous small tropical peatlands are known or expected in the lowlands of western Amazonia, the Pantanal, the humid Chaco and Parana, the coastal areas of the Guyanas and Venezuela, and along the Brazilian Atlantic coast, whereas large peatlands are known from southern Chile and Argentina (e.g. Fuego-Patagonia).

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