Mapping soil organic carbon content in Patagonian forests based on climate, topography and vegetation metrics from satellite imagery

Soil organic carbon (SOC) content supports several ecosystem services. Quantifying SOC requires: (i) accurate C estimates of forest components, and (ii) soil estimates. However, SOC is difficult to measure, so predictive models are needed. Our objective was to model SOC stocks within 30 cm depth in Patagonian forests based on climatic, topographic and vegetation productivity measures from satellite images, including Dynamic Habitat Indices and Land Surface Temperature derived from Landsat-8. We used data from 1320 stands of different forest types in Patagonia, and random forest regression to map SOC. The model captured SOC variability well (R2 = 0.60, RMSE = 22.1%), considering the huge latitudinal extension (36.4◦ to 55.1◦ SL) and the great diversity of forest types. Mean SOC was 134.4 ton C ha−1 ± 25.2, totaling 404.2 million ton C across Patagonia. Overall, SOC values were highest in valleys of the Andes mountains and in southern Tierra del Fuego, ranging from 53.5 to 277.8 ton C ha−1 for the whole Patagonia region. Soil organic carbon is a metric relevant to many applications, connecting major issues such as forest management, conservation, and livestock production, and having spatially explicit estimates of SOC enables managers to fulfil the international agreements that Argentina has joined.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José, Aravena Acuña, Marie Claire, Silveira, Eduarda M.O., Von Müller, Axel, La Manna, Ludmila, González Polo, Marina, Chaves, Jimena Elizabeth, Cellini, Juan Manuel, Lencinas, María Vanessa, Radeloff, Volker C., Pidgeon, Anna Michle, Peri, Pablo Luis
Format:	info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) 2022-11-11
Subjects:	Soil Organic Carbon, Primary Forests, Satellite Imagery, Carbono Orgánico del Suelo, Bosque Primario, Imágenes por Satélites, Landsat-8, Región Patagónica, Dynamic Habitat Indices, Bosques Nativos,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/13417 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/22/5702 https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14225702
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