Microclimate conditions of the developed peatland in Central Kalimantan

Abstract

This study describes temperature and soil moisture profile of peatland for four land uses condition: Agricultural area, forest, regrowing forest and destroyed forest. The study area covers the former Mega Rice Project (1996-1999) with an area of 1.5 million ha in central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Daily and hourly temperatures and soil moisture content were observed during dry (July-August) and rainy (March) seasons for two years. Results of this study reveal that the developed peatland increases peat surface and air temperatures ranging from 1.09 to 2.97°C. Daily and diurnal temperature fluctuations ranging from 2.25 to 5.55°C affected significantly the decreasing of 11.65% soil moisture content within the top peat layer of 20 cm. This findings offer possible restoration options in order to control hydrogeological change within the study area. © 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information.