A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories
Abstract This article presents the first published peatland map for Costa Rica. A probabilistic approach using vegetation, ecosystem, and soil datasets was used to predict the distribution and extent of peatlands found below 700 m in elevation. High-elevation sites found in the Talamanca Mountains w...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03126-0 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850125534475845632 |
|---|---|
| author | Emily Rabel Julie Loisel Alex Barthelmes Cristina Malpica-Piñeros Cosima Tegetmeyer Jacklyn Rivera Wong Laura Villegas-Mejia |
| author_facet | Emily Rabel Julie Loisel Alex Barthelmes Cristina Malpica-Piñeros Cosima Tegetmeyer Jacklyn Rivera Wong Laura Villegas-Mejia |
| author_sort | Emily Rabel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This article presents the first published peatland map for Costa Rica. A probabilistic approach using vegetation, ecosystem, and soil datasets was used to predict the distribution and extent of peatlands found below 700 m in elevation. High-elevation sites found in the Talamanca Mountains were manually identified using satellite imagery; those peatlands are small in size (< 0.05 km2). Our analysis produced an estimated low-elevation peatland extent of 1433 km2 and a high-elevation peatland extent of 23.08 km2, yielding an estimated total extent of 1456 km2 for Costa Rica. This figure falls close to the middle of previously published extent estimates for this country, which vary widely (577–2670 km2). An agreement analysis between previously published maps and this new product is also presented. Plotting the peatland area of Costa Rica in a climate space (mean annual precipitation vs. precipitation seasonality) highlights key climatic differences between our peatland types/regions, hinting at broad-scale effects of climate-landscape interactions. As for the probability map therein, we stress that its accuracy is limited by data availability and quality, as well as ground-referencing information. Still, the new product can provide guidance for land management, policymaking, and future science endeavors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6c975c63865b49bdae1dab974a726fb8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-6c975c63865b49bdae1dab974a726fb82025-08-20T02:34:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-03126-0A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventoriesEmily Rabel0Julie Loisel1Alex Barthelmes2Cristina Malpica-Piñeros3Cosima Tegetmeyer4Jacklyn Rivera Wong5Laura Villegas-Mejia6Department of Geography, Texas A&M UniversityDepartment of Geography, Texas A&M UniversityGreifswald Mire Center, University of GreifswaldGreifswald Mire Center, University of GreifswaldGreifswald Mire Center, University of GreifswaldMinisterio de Ambiente y Energia, Gobierno de Costa RicaFood and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsAbstract This article presents the first published peatland map for Costa Rica. A probabilistic approach using vegetation, ecosystem, and soil datasets was used to predict the distribution and extent of peatlands found below 700 m in elevation. High-elevation sites found in the Talamanca Mountains were manually identified using satellite imagery; those peatlands are small in size (< 0.05 km2). Our analysis produced an estimated low-elevation peatland extent of 1433 km2 and a high-elevation peatland extent of 23.08 km2, yielding an estimated total extent of 1456 km2 for Costa Rica. This figure falls close to the middle of previously published extent estimates for this country, which vary widely (577–2670 km2). An agreement analysis between previously published maps and this new product is also presented. Plotting the peatland area of Costa Rica in a climate space (mean annual precipitation vs. precipitation seasonality) highlights key climatic differences between our peatland types/regions, hinting at broad-scale effects of climate-landscape interactions. As for the probability map therein, we stress that its accuracy is limited by data availability and quality, as well as ground-referencing information. Still, the new product can provide guidance for land management, policymaking, and future science endeavors.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03126-0PeatlandsMappingClimateWetlandsCosta Rica |
| spellingShingle | Emily Rabel Julie Loisel Alex Barthelmes Cristina Malpica-Piñeros Cosima Tegetmeyer Jacklyn Rivera Wong Laura Villegas-Mejia A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories Scientific Reports Peatlands Mapping Climate Wetlands Costa Rica |
| title | A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories |
| title_full | A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories |
| title_fullStr | A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories |
| title_full_unstemmed | A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories |
| title_short | A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories |
| title_sort | probabilistic map of costa rican peatlands based on vegetation ecosystem and soil inventories |
| topic | Peatlands Mapping Climate Wetlands Costa Rica |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03126-0 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emilyrabel aprobabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT julieloisel aprobabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT alexbarthelmes aprobabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT cristinamalpicapineros aprobabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT cosimategetmeyer aprobabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT jacklynriverawong aprobabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT lauravillegasmejia aprobabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT emilyrabel probabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT julieloisel probabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT alexbarthelmes probabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT cristinamalpicapineros probabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT cosimategetmeyer probabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT jacklynriverawong probabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories AT lauravillegasmejia probabilisticmapofcostaricanpeatlandsbasedonvegetationecosystemandsoilinventories |