Quantifying and understanding tropical peatland spatial distribution and carbon storage in Central Africa

大部分轶事证据表明，撒哈拉以南非洲可能拥有大片泥炭地，面积是英国的几倍，据报道，刚果盆地的泥炭厚度为30-60米。如果这是正确的，这表明按单位面积计算，这些地区是世界上碳储存密度最高的地区之一。因此，发现和量化这种泥炭地中储存的碳，以及对其范围和分布的环境控制，对于(1)从这个角度提高我们对非洲碳循环的理解，(2)模拟未来气候变化的影响，以及(3)管理这一资源，至关重要。此外，对以前不为人知和/或未量化的泥炭储量的描述，可能会以获得减少土地利用变化造成的碳排放的付款的形式，为中部非洲各国政府和当地人民带来直接好处。这有可能对减轻世界上收入最贫穷地区之一的贫困产生明显的社会影响。因此，该项目将对刚果共和国各地的泥炭地及其碳储量进行描述、测绘和量化。该项目是与CASE合作伙伴野生动物保护协会-刚果共同开发的，该协会是刚果最大的保护非政府组织，与刚果政府监测和共同管理刚果280万公顷的森林和湿地栖息地，其中可能包括主要的泥炭储量(根据最近的估计，储存2.4PgC)。该项目实现了可能的政策框架研究--因为目前大多数关于生态系统服务付款的讨论都没有考虑地下碳库--通常情况下，WCS-刚果不具备单独开展这项研究的专业知识。学生将(1)利用遥感产品和当地实地知识来确定泥炭最有可能积聚的区域，(2)实地考察其中一些区域，以了解泥炭的储量和上面植被的特征，(3)将遥感数据和实地数据结合起来计算访问地点中储存的碳，(4)利用这些数据预测有利于泥炭发生和积累的当地地理条件和环境关系，然后估计刚果各地由世界气候变化委员会管理的地区的位置和总碳储存。成功的应聘者将具备土壤科学、生态学或地球观测方面的背景，会说法语，并将有动力从事生态或环境保护事业。WCS-刚果将在刚果-布拉柴维尔提供GB 2.5K p/a、办公空间和其他设施的支持。此外，它们还将提供实地考察，协助评估遥感数据，培训考察队管理和执行情况，并使学生接触到中部非洲以科学为基础的实际保护管理。设在英国的监督员和世界科学大会刚果办事处将确保项目产出不仅包括世界级的科学成果，而且还具有具体的管理相关性。这名学生将受益于五名导师，其中三名来自利兹，他们专门从事非洲碳动力学(Lewis)、泥炭生态学(Lawson，Baird)、非洲景观管理(Case Partner Telfer)和热带泥炭地(佩奇，莱斯特大学)的研究，他们总共撰写了150多篇论文，其中包括7篇《科学/自然》。该项目提供了一套极好的学生培训方案，纳入了实地、实验室和模型工作的内容，使之能够发展广泛的技术技能，以及在中部非洲的实际养护管理经验。这个项目的跨学科性质将为学生提供对他们未来的科学事业非常有价值的技能。

Largely anecdotal evidence suggests that sub-Saharan Africa may contain large areas of peatlands, several times the extent of those in the UK, with peat thickness reports of 30-60 m in the Congo Basin. If correct, this indicates that these areas, on a per area basis, are some of the world's densest carbon stores. Discovering and quantifying the carbon stored in such peatlands, and the environmental controls on their extent and distribution, is therefore critical to (1) improving our understanding of carbon cycling in Africa, the least well-understood continent from this perspective, (2) modelling future climate change impacts and (3) managing this resource. In addition, the description of previously unknown and/or unquantified peat deposits may provide direct benefits for Central African governments and local people in the form of access to payments to reduce carbon emissions from land-use change. This has the potential to have a clear societal impact in terms of alleviating poverty in one of the world's most income-poor regions. Therefore the project will describe, map and quantify the peatlands and their carbon storage across the Republic of Congo. The project has been developed with the CASE partner Wildlife Conservation Society-Congo, the largest conservation NGO in Congo, who monitor and co-manage, with the Congolese government, 2.8 million ha of forest and wetland habitat in Congo, which is likely to include major peat deposits (storing 2.4 Pg C by one recent estimate). The project enables possibly policy-framing research - as belowground carbon stores are currently not considered in most discussions of payments for ecosystem services - that ordinarily WCS-Congo would not have the expertise to undertake alone. The student will (1) utilise remote sensing products and local on-the-ground knowledge to identify the most likely areas of peat accumulation, (2) visit some of these in the field to discover how much peat exists and characterise the overlying vegetation, (3) combine remotely sensed and field data to calculate the carbon stored in the visited sites, (4) utilise this data to prediction the local geographic conditions and environmental relationships that favour peat genesis and accumulation to then estimate the locations and total carbon stored in WCS-managed areas across Congo. The successful candidate will have some combination of a background in soil science, ecology, or earth observation, speak French and will be motivated to pursue a career in ecology or conservation. WCS-Congo will provide support of £2.5K p/a, office space and other facilities in Congo-Brazzaville. Additionally they will provide access to field sites, assistance in the assessment of remote sensing data, training in expedition management and execution, and will expose the student to practical science-based conservation management in Central Africa. The UK-based supervisors and WCS-Congo will ensure that the project outputs include not only world-class science but also have specific management relevance. The student will benefit from five supervisors, three at Leeds, specialising in African carbon dynamics (Lewis), peat ecology (Lawson, Baird), African landscape management (CASE Partner Telfer), and tropical peatlands (Page, University of Leicester), who collectively are the authors of over 150 papers, including seven in Science/Nature. The project provides an excellent package of student training, incorporating elements of field, laboratory and modelling work, enabling the development of a broad suite of technical skills in addition to practical conservation management experience in Central Africa. The interdisciplinary nature of this project will provide the student with skills that will be of great value to their future scientific career.