[M-IS05] Environmental, Socio-economic, and Climatic Changes in Northern Eurasia

[MIS05-16] High resolution wetland map of Russia and methane emission estimates.

Irina Terentieva^1,2, Mikhail Glagolev^1,2, *Shamil Maksyutov³, Aleksander Sabrekov⁴ (1.Moscow State University, 2.Yugra State University, Khanty-Mansyisk, 3.National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, 4.A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow)

Keywords:methane emissions, wetland map, Landsat, Boreal Eurasia

Russian wetlands represent one of the largest and diverse wetland complexes, extending across biomes from Arctic tundra to boreal forests. Despite their importance, these wetlands remain underexplored, particularly in terms of their spatial distribution and greenhouse gas fluxes. We present a dataset providing a detailed typological map of Russian wetlands and accompanying methane flux estimates at spatial resolution of 150 m, representing the most detailed coverage for Russian wetlands to date. The maps and calculations were developed in Google Earth Engine (GEE) through a combination of multi-seasonal Landsat composites, PALSAR radar imagery, and extensive field observation data from peatland sites across Western Siberia. The wetland mapping relied on seasonal Landsat composites (spring, summer, fall) and PALSAR radar data to capture the distinct structural and hydrological characteristics of each wetland type. Additional layers, such as GMTED topographic slope and global tree cover, were included to exclude non-wetland areas and to enhance the classification by distinguishing forests from non-forested wetlands. A comprehensive training dataset includes 2450 points selected to capture 12 primary wetland types across Russia validated against high-resolution imagery to ensure accuracy. Points represent the wide-ranging wetland ecosystems from open water and patterned bogs to swampy and forested fens. The random forest classifier was chosen for its capacity to handle large datasets and complex relationships among input layers. Total wetland area covers 173.96 million hectares. Methane emission estimates were derived from a multi-step approach that incorporated ecosystem-specific emission factors, ecosystem area, and the estimated emission period. Using this approach, methane emissions were calculated for 50x50 km grid. This produced a spatially detailed estimate of methane fluxes along climate and vegetation gradients across Russia. Total annual methane emissions from all mapped wetland areas are 11.39 MtCH₄ per year.

References:
Terentieva, I., Glagolev, M., Maksyutov, S., & Sabrekov, A. (2024). Mapping Russian Wetlands and Estimating Methane Fluxes [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13997236