For a long time, scientists knew that Amazonian wetlands emitted methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but they didn’t fully understand why or how those emissions varied. To fill that gap, an international team of researchers embarked on an ambitious project between 2014 and 2018 with a clear goal: to discover what controls methane emissions in Amazonian peatlands.

The team studied different forest types, soils, and water levels in remote areas of the Amazon, collecting data for three years. They also investigated a little-considered potential emission pathway: tree trunks. Their findings revealed that vegetation, groundwater, and soil chemistry combine in complex and sometimes unexpected ways to produce methane. They even simulated extreme conditions that could occur in the future due to climate change to see how these ecosystems would respond.

In addition to science, this project also served as an educational and communication platform. Multiple theses were written, university and high school students received training, and videos and outreach materials were produced. Collaboration between Peruvian and American scientists was key to this success, opening up new avenues of research in one of the most biodiverse and understudied regions on the planet.
Work continues, aiming to better understand these unique ecosystems and contribute to their conservation. In a world where every ton of methane counts, this type of research is vital for the future of the global climate.

The enigma of tropical peatlands

In the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, vast areas of tropical peatlands extend, wetlands that act as enormous carbon sinks.
Although these areas are known for their ability to store carbon, the role of peatlands in greenhouse gas emissions such as methane (CH4) had not been fully studied.

Water was known to play a crucial role in these emissions, but how exactly did water dynamics influence the release of these gases into the environment?

The problem that arose

Growing concerns about global climate change have made it urgent to understand the impact that hydrological variations have on greenhouse gas emissions in these key ecosystems.

As the Amazon faced more frequent periods of drought and changing rainfall patterns, a critical question arose: Are tropical peatlands, under these new conditions, releasing more greenhouse gases, and how can we measure this?

Pioneering research in the Amazon region

Since 2014, ASETT has embarked on a mission to answer these questions. The research team has installed monitoring stations at multiple strategic locations in the Amazonian peatlands.

For five years, they studied hydrological fluctuations, measured levels of methane and other greenhouse gases, and analyzed how soil chemistry influenced these emissions.

It was the first time a study of this magnitude had been conducted in the region, and the results began to yield revealing insights.

Challenges in the field and unexpected discoveries

One of the biggest challenges was accessing and working in such remote areas.
The team faced flash floods and periods of extreme drought that complicated the installation and maintenance of the monitoring equipment. But despite the difficulties, the team continued to move forward.

A key discovery was the crucial role played by water levels in methane emissions. In periods of drought, when water levels dropped below certain levels, methane emissions increased dramatically. Conversely, during flood seasons, emissions stabilized or even decreased.

Furthermore, a correlation was identified between water geochemistry and variations in gas release, opening up new lines of research to better understand these complex processes.

The climax of the research: Transformative results

By 2019, the project had established a clear link between hydrological fluctuations and greenhouse gas emissions in tropical peatlands.

These results were not only groundbreaking, but also highlighted the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate change.
In the context of global warming, peatlands could transform from a carbon sink into a major source of methane emissions, further exacerbating the problem.

Life after the project

Although the project concluded in 2019, its implications still resonate today.

Amazonian peatlands continue to face threats from deforestation, climate change, and agricultural expansion.

The data collected during this study provide a solid foundation for future research and conservation policies, but much remains to be done.

What is needed now: funding and more research

To ensure the protection of these ecosystems and better understand their role in climate change mitigation, continued research is essential.

This includes expanding monitoring to new peatland areas and collaborating with more researchers to further study geochemical and hydrological controls.

Furthermore, funding is key to scaling up these efforts and expanding knowledge about how to restore degraded peatlands.