Overview
- Peer-reviewed research in New Phytologist reports exceptionally high soil carbon densities of about 1,200–1,300 metric tons per hectare, roughly six times the Amazon’s average biomass per hectare.
- Radiocarbon dating shows the stored carbon averages about 11,185 years in age, with some deposits exceeding 20,000 years.
- Remote sensing and machine learning map a preliminary 16.7 million hectares of these wetlands—about 8% of the Cerrado—potentially holding carbon comparable to roughly 20% of Amazon vegetation, though the estimate requires further testing.
- Field measurements indicate around 70% of annual greenhouse-gas emissions from these wetlands occur during the hot, dry season.
- Researchers warn that groundwater extraction for irrigation, wetland draining, agribusiness expansion, and longer dry seasons are drying peat and heightening the risk of persistent peat fires, with legal protections uneven and degradation reaching about 50% in some areas.