Subsidence rate of drained peat in Sumatra and Kalimantan islands, Indonesia

Authors:
Maswar and F. Agus

Book:
Proceedings of the 15th International Peat Congress

Venue:
Kuching

Keywords:
enviromental-problems, peat-thickness, subsidence

Documentfile:
ipc16p40a232maswar.agus_.pdf

Summary:

With land scarcity, more and more peatland areas have been drained and converted to agricultural and other development uses. However, the drainage of peatlands leads to accelerated CO2 emissions and subsidence which are related to global and local problems. A series of observations of peat subsidence rate was made in the year 2013 to 2015 using permanent, vertical subsidence poles made of 6cm diameter steel poles on peatland that had been used for about five years for agriculture. Each subsidence pole was hammered vertically into the peat profile until it penetrated about one m into the underlying mineral soil layer and about one m of its top appeared above ground…