A review of carbon monitoring in wet carbon systems using remote sensing

• Published in: Environmental Research Letters
• Main Authors: Anthony D Campbell, Temilola Fatoyinbo, Sean P Charles, Laura L Bourgeau-Chavez, Joaquim Goes, Helga Gomes, Meghan Halabisky, James Holmquist, Steven Lohrenz, Catherine Mitchell, L Monika Moskal, Benjamin Poulter, Han Qiu, Celio H Resende De Sousa, Michael Sayers, Marc Simard, Anthony J Stewart, Debjani Singh, Carl Trettin, Jinghui Wu, Xuesong Zhang, David Lagomasino
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 2022
• Subjects: earth observation; wetlands; ocean; carbon monitoring; Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering; TD1-1066; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Science; Q; Physics; QC1-999; permafrost
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac4d4d; https://doaj.org/article/1ba9767401e84411b1d7faacd7d6bf6c

Carbon monitoring is critical for the reporting and verification of carbon stocks and change. Remote sensing is a tool increasingly used to estimate the spatial heterogeneity, extent and change of carbon stocks within and across various systems. We designate the use of the term wet carbon system to the interconnected wetlands, ocean, river and streams, lakes and ponds, and permafrost, which are carbon-dense and vital conduits for carbon throughout the terrestrial and aquatic sections of the carbon cycle. We reviewed wet carbon monitoring studies that utilize earth observation to improve our knowledge of data gaps, methods, and future research recommendations. To achieve this, we conducted a systematic review collecting 1622 references and screening them with a combination of text matching and a panel of three experts. The search found 496 references, with an additional 78 references added by experts. Our study found considerable variability of the utilization of remote sensing and global wet carbon monitoring progress across the nine systems analyzed. The review highlighted that remote sensing is routinely used to globally map carbon in mangroves and oceans, whereas seagrass, terrestrial wetlands, tidal marshes, rivers, and permafrost would benefit from more accurate and comprehensive global maps of extent. We identified three critical gaps and twelve recommendations to continue progressing wet carbon systems and increase cross system scientific inquiry.