Carbon Dynamics of Peatswamp Forest

Carbon Dynamics in Bruneiʼs Peat ForestsCharles Harvey, MIT

SMART/Brunei Forestry Collaboration

Pro#les ofhydraulic andbiogeochemicalcharacterization

Solar-poweredresearch station

Automatedriver gages

Piezometers withpressure transducers

Automatedrain gages

Eddy-#uxtowers

Transmissionline

Foot print of #uxmeasurements

River carbon#ux stations

Belait

Dam it

MendaramMendaram tower site

Mendaram study area

Dam ittower site

Dam itstudy area

SarawakLabiHills

Baram

Kuala Belait

Seria

Operat ional 2011-09 Under developm entSite overview

A.

Damit River

5 km

(3) How does deforestation affect peat?

(2) How does peat accumulate?

Chicken-or-egg conundrumLocal dynamics in peat domes

(1) What are the carbon fluxes to and from peat lands?

Questions:

1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

Project Components

Solar-powered research station

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

Soil gaschambers

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

Meter Scale Hydrology

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

CoreAnalysis

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

River Fluxes

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

Atmospheric Exchange

Fieldwork

Helicopter drop of field equipment

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

Biogeochemical sampling

Chloride

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

Project Components1. Power supply and infrastructure2. Small-scale characterization Soil chambers Meter-scale hydrology Core analysis3. Large-scale fluxes River fluxes Atmospheric fluxes4. Biogeochemical Characterization 5. Hydrologic models6. Ecosystem models

Ecological modeling

• Brunei’s peat forest are a unique and valuable resource

• We are building novel sensors that quantify carbon fluxes into and out of the peat lands and are designed to work in the peat forest

• We are combing data with models to better understand how peat is created and destroyed

Thank You