<span lang="EN-GB">Satellite-based assessment of high ​​Andean wetlands and carbon sequestration under the influence of climate change

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: High-Andean wetlands play an important role in providing ecosystem services, particularly carbon sequestration. However, changes in climate may affect their extent and reduce their capacity to capture atmospheric Carbon. Therefore, the study objectives were to estimate carbon uptake in High-Andean wetlands using satellite imagery and to evaluate its relationship with climatic variables in the Huancané Basin, Peru.METHODS: Google Earth Engine and RStudio integrated development environment (v۴.۳.۱) were used with JavaScript and R programming languages. Wetland extent was determined from Landsat ۵–۸ imagery using the Linear Spectral Unmixing method during the wet and dry seasons. The wetland index was applied after converting digital numbers to reflectance values. carbon uptake was estimated from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer gross primary productivity and net primary productivity products. Climate data were obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration power platform, and the relationships between wetland extent, carbon dioxide sequestration, and climatic variables were analyzed.FINDINGS: Wetland extent decreased throughout the study period in both seasons. Between ۲۰۱۰ and ۲۰۲۲, wetland extent decreased by ۱۰۹.۴۳ square kilometres during the wet season and ۸۵.۶۰ square kilometres during the dry season. Carbon uptake also showed a decreasing trend during both seasons. Values ranged from ۹.۹۸۵ to ۲۸.۲۳۴ kilograms of carbon per square metre during the wet season and from ۷.۰۹۱ to ۱۹.۱۰۳ kilograms of carbon per square metre during the dry season. Significant relationships were found between wetland extent, carbon uptake, and climatic variables (p<۰.۰۵). Lower precipitation, higher maximum and minimum temperatures, lower relative humidity, and higher wind speed were associated with reductions in wetland extent and carbon uptake.CONCLUSION: The results indicate that recent climatic changes have contributed to the degradation of high-Andean wetlands and to a reduction in their carbon uptake capacity in the Huancané Basin. These findings provide useful information for monitoring wetland dynamics and support the development of conservation and climate change mitigation strategies for future ecosystem management and sustainable conservation planning in vulnerable mountain regions worldwide.

کلیدواژه ها:

Humidity ، rain ، Temperature ، Watershed ، Wind.