##  [Peat Depth and Carbon Storage of the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada](/resource/peat-depth-and-carbon-storage-hudson-bay-lowlands-canada) 

Organization

[McMaster University](/organization/mcmaster-university)

[Toronto Metropolitan University](/organization/toronto-metropolitan-university)

[University of Toronto (UofT)](/organization/university-toronto-uoft)

[Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)](/organization/natural-resources-canada-nrcan)

[Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources](/organization/ontario-ministry-natural-resources)

[World Wildlife Fund](/organization/world-wildlife-fund)

 

 

Resource Type

[Peer reviewed article](/taxonomy/term/37)

 

 

Author(s)

Yiyao Li

Daorui Han

Cheryl Rogers

Sarah Finkelstein

Oleksandra Hararuk

James Waddington

Carlos Barreto

James McLaughlin

James Snider

Alemu Gonsamo

 

 

Original Authors

Yiyao Li

Daorui Han

Cheryl Rogers

Sarah Finkelstein

Oleksandra Hararuk

James Waddington

Carlos Barreto

James McLaughlin

James Snider

Alemu Gonsamo

 

 

Contacts

[Alemu Gonsamo](/contact/alemu-gonsamo)

 

 

Resource Date:

2024

 

 

The Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) are recognized as the second largest peatland complex in the world. Due to variability in peat thickness across a large and heterogeneous landscape, the existing carbon (C) storage estimates for the HBL may contain large uncertainty. Here, we use geospatial variables that are associated with HBL peat formation, age, accumulation, and occurrence to understand the driving factors for peat depth variability and map peat depth and C storage at 30 m spatial resolution. The estimated average peat depth of HBL is 184(±48) cm with 90% of values falling between 89 and 264 cm. Based on the spatially explicit peat depth, the HBL total C storage is estimated to be 30(±6) Pg. Distance to the coastline is the most important indicator of peat depth where the depth increases with distance further away from Hudson Bay coastline, confirming that the time since peat formation is closely related to peat depth.